PS 07. Laparascopic surgery on urology in China: Present and future

In ancient China, the famous doctor Simiao Sun used the green shallot as the catheter for acute urinary retention 1500 years ago and was the predecessor of endourology in ancient China. In 1984, Prof. Jieping Wu, the guide of Modern Endourology in China, gave a lecture titled "The development of Urology and Endourology in China" on the 3rd WCE in Germany. In 1991, Prof. Yinglu Guo, the founder of modern endourology in China, published the first textbook "Endourology" and established the Urologist Training Institute in China. Based on the 1st literature publication in the field of endourology, Chinese urologists were 45 years later for TUR, 10 years later for ureteroscopy and PCNL, and just 1-2 years for different laparoscopic procedures. In 1981, Chinese Society of Urology (Chinese Association of Urology) was founded and held annual meetings of urology each year with more than 3000 participants, organized to have written a series of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases and promoted the scientific exchange with AUA, EAU, SIU, WCE and so on. By now, there are about 15,000 urologists in China, which include more than 6,000 endourologists. There were more than 50 medical centers qualified as endoscopic training centers by Ministry of Health of Chinese government. In recent years, there were more than 50% of abstracts (>6000) on the topic of endourology on annual meetings of CUA. The endourological procedures have been carried out broadly in many hospitals not only in relatively big cities, but also in rural and mountain areas. In many hospitals, more and more endourological procedures are carried out for TUR and transurethral laser therapy, PCNL, ureteroscopic examination and treatment, laparoscopic operations, even robot-assisted laparoscopic procedures, and 50-90% of urological surgeries are done by endourological procedures. Although there are only 11 robots in China and not so many robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries done due to its expensive costs, many hospitals have decided to buy robots for specialty development and in the near future, robot will be used in more and more hospitals and different specialties and departments. There are more and more papers and new concepts published in international English journals from Chinese urologists, such as IUPU technique to set up the retroperitoneal spaces, anatomical laparoscopic nephrectomy and adrenolectomy, transurethral electrocautery enucleation of prostate, transurethral complete laser resection of bladder tumors, rigid ureteroscopy with deflectable tip and so on. Now in China, LESS and NOTES procedures have been carried out in many centers and some new trocars and instruments for LESS have been patented by Chinese endourologists.

In the future, Chinese endourologists will change from followers in the past to partners and leaders in the field of endourology with the quick development of Chinese economy.