The department currently comprises nine clinical subspecialties: Brain Injury, Cerebrovascular Disease, Neurointervention, Dementia and Neuropsychology, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, Neurocritical Care, Epilepsy, Neuroimmunology and Neuro-oncology, and Neurological Function.
I. The Neurology Department is the largest brain injury treatment center nationwide. In response to the high incidence of neurological complications following radiotherapy for head and neck tumors in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region—such as radiation-induced brain injury, radiation-induced lower cranial nerve injury, radiation-induced cervical vascular stenosis, radiation-induced optic neuropathy, and radiation-induced neuralgia—the department has pioneered diverse comprehensive treatment approaches. These include the innovative proposal that non-resolving inflammation post-radiation is a primary cause of radiation-induced neural injury, leading to refined diagnostic and treatment protocols that have significantly improved therapeutic efficacy. The department has also developed integrated techniques incorporating multiple treatment modalities, such as bevacizumab for radiation-induced brain injury and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for radiation-induced neuralgia. By combining clinical risk factors with radiomics to precisely predict disease mechanisms, treatment outcomes, and prognosis, a standardized diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up protocol has been established. This positions the department as a unique leader in the field, achieving both international cutting-edge and nationally leading status.
II. The Neurology Department has established a stroke unit that meets advanced international standards, supported by a specialized stroke green channel team and a cerebrovascular disease intervention team. It is equipped to implement the latest international diagnostic and treatment methods and technologies, with distinctive expertise in comprehensive cerebrovascular disease management—particularly in early vascular reperfusion therapy for ischemic stroke and interventional recanalization for chronic occlusive vascular diseases. In addition to routinely performing treatments such as thrombolysis, thrombectomy, cerebral angiography, stenting for intracranial and extracranial arterial stenosis, and embolus monitoring, the department actively conducts complex and challenging Grade IV interventional procedures, including endovascular treatment for intracranial venous system disorders and management of radiation-induced intracranial and extracranial vascular lesions. The department is not only recognized as an Advanced Stroke Center under the National Health Commission’s Million Disability Reduction Project Expert Committee but also serves as the sole Neurointervention Advanced Training Base among Sun Yat-sen University’s affiliated hospitals. This designation underscores the department’s exceptional technical capabilities and training expertise in the field of neurointervention.
III. The Neurology Department has established a standardized comprehensive assessment process for Parkinson’s disease, forming a multidisciplinary treatment model for Parkinson’s and movement disorders. This model integrates diagnosis, deep brain stimulation (DBS) programming, rehabilitation exercises, and chronic disease management, positioning the department’s comprehensive treatment level among the top in the country. Furthermore, the department has been administering botulinum toxin therapy for movement disorders since as early as 2015, enriching treatment options and enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
IV. The Neurology Department is capable of performing various cognitive and psychological assessments and conducts examinations such as cerebrospinal fluid Aβ and tau protein tests, providing critical evidence for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. Additionally, advanced technologies such as gene chips and DNA sequencing are utilized to accurately diagnose dementia associated with genetic disorders. Innovative treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) are also employed to deliver personalized and comprehensive therapeutic plans for patients.
V. Building on the monitoring, treatment, and maintenance of multi-organ functions, the Neurocritical Care Unit has developed a specialized emergency and critical care system tailored to neurological conditions. It routinely employs technologies such as bedside bronchoscopy, mechanical ventilation, lumbar cistern drainage, external ventricular drainage, bedside dialysis, and bedside plasma exchange to ensure timely and effective treatment for critically ill patients. Additionally, the department comprehensively utilizes technologies, including bedside long-term electroencephalography, transcranial Doppler (TCD), intracranial pressure monitoring, and evoked potentials. These tools facilitate more accurate patient assessment and the formulation of personalized treatment plans, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing complications.
VI. The Neurology Department boasts a profound historical legacy in electroencephalography (EEG) technology and is one of the earliest institutions in China to implement EEG detection. The department operates independent neuroelectrophysiology laboratories and evoked potential/electromyography rooms at both its northern and southern campuses. Annually, it performs over 2,000 routine scalp video EEGs and more than 400 long-term EEG monitoring cases.
VII. The Neurology Department provides specific immunotherapies for various neurological autoimmune diseases. Techniques such as plasma exchange and immunoadsorption are routinely employed to treat conditions like neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, myasthenic crisis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.