About Dr. Zhou Pinghong
Dr. Zhou Pinghong is a Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, and one of the world's foremost authorities in therapeutic gastrointestinal endoscopy, based at the Endoscopy Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer and global leader in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) — the most technically demanding and clinically powerful technique in the therapeutic endoscopy armamentarium — and has trained endoscopists from across China, Asia, Europe, and North America in this procedure. His case volume, technical innovation, and research output in ESD and related endoscopic techniques place him among a small number of endoscopists worldwide who have fundamentally shaped the development and global dissemination of this field.
ESD is a minimally invasive endoscopic technique that enables the en bloc resection of early gastrointestinal cancers and large precancerous lesions — including early gastric cancer, early esophageal cancer, early colorectal cancer, and large colorectal polyps — without the need for surgery. In expert hands, ESD achieves curative resection rates for early gastrointestinal cancers that are equivalent to surgical resection, while eliminating the risks, recovery time, and quality-of-life impact of open or laparoscopic surgery. For patients who have been told they require surgery for an early gastrointestinal cancer or a large polyp that cannot be removed by conventional endoscopic techniques, a consultation with Dr. Zhou Pinghong frequently reveals that endoscopic resection is feasible — transforming what would have been a major surgical procedure into a same-day or overnight endoscopic procedure with a recovery measured in days rather than weeks.
Beyond ESD, Dr. Zhou's expertise encompasses the full spectrum of advanced therapeutic endoscopy: peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for achalasia and other esophageal motility disorders, submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) for subepithelial tumors, endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) for lesions not amenable to standard ESD, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided interventions. His technical innovations — including modifications to ESD technique that have improved safety and efficiency, and the development of POEM as a treatment for achalasia — have been adopted by endoscopists worldwide and have expanded the boundaries of what is achievable through the endoscope.
Hospital Affiliation: Endoscopy Center, Ruijin Hospital
Ruijin Hospital (瑞金医霂), affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, is one of Shanghai's oldest and most respected academic medical institutions, founded in 1907 and consistently ranked among China's top hospitals. Its Endoscopy Center is one of the highest-volume and most technically advanced therapeutic endoscopy units in China, performing thousands of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures annually including ESD, POEM, STER, EFTR, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and EUS-guided interventions.
The center is equipped with the latest generation of endoscopic imaging systems — including high-definition white light endoscopy, narrow-band imaging (NBI), blue laser imaging (BLI), and linked color imaging (LCI) for enhanced detection and characterization of mucosal lesions — as well as the full range of therapeutic endoscopic accessories and energy platforms required for advanced resection procedures. Its endoscopic ultrasound suite supports EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and fine needle biopsy (FNB) for tissue diagnosis, EUS-guided drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts and walled-off necrosis, and EUS-guided biliary and pancreatic duct interventions. The center maintains an active training program for endoscopists from across China and internationally, and Dr. Zhou's team regularly hosts visiting endoscopists from Japan, Korea, Europe, and North America who come to observe and learn advanced ESD and POEM techniques.
For international patients, Ruijin Hospital's Endoscopy Center offers access to therapeutic endoscopic expertise — particularly in ESD and POEM — that is available at only a small number of centers worldwide, at costs substantially below those of equivalent procedures in Western healthcare systems, with access to scheduling typically achievable within days through CMCS.
Clinical Specialties: What Dr. Zhou Pinghong Treats
- Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastrointestinal cancers — en bloc endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer (T1a and selected T1b), early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (including Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma), early colorectal cancer, and large or complex colorectal polyps including laterally spreading tumors (LSTs); curative resection with histopathological assessment of resection margins and depth of invasion; avoidance of surgery and its associated risks and recovery in appropriately selected patients
- Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for achalasia and esophageal motility disorders — endoscopic treatment of achalasia (all subtypes including type I, II, and III), esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO), diffuse esophageal spasm, and jackhammer esophagus; POEM as an alternative to surgical Heller myotomy and pneumatic dilation, with equivalent or superior efficacy and a minimally invasive endoscopic approach; gastric POEM (G-POEM) for gastroparesis
- Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) — endoscopic resection of subepithelial tumors (SETs) arising from the muscularis propria layer of the esophagus, stomach, and rectum, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), leiomyomas, and other mesenchymal tumors; avoidance of surgery for tumors that would otherwise require thoracoscopic or laparoscopic resection
- Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) — full-thickness endoscopic resection of lesions not amenable to standard ESD due to submucosal fibrosis, prior resection scarring, or deep invasion; closure of the resulting full-thickness defect using endoscopic suturing or over-the-scope clip (OTSC) systems
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-guided interventions — high-resolution EUS imaging for staging of esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and rectal tumors; EUS-guided FNA and FNB for tissue diagnosis of pancreatic masses, subepithelial tumors, and mediastinal and perigastric lymph nodes; EUS-guided drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts and walled-off necrosis; EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pancreatic cancer pain
- Complex polypectomy and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) — piecemeal or en bloc EMR for large colorectal polyps not amenable to standard snare polypectomy; underwater EMR (uEMR) for flat colorectal lesions; management of post-polypectomy bleeding and perforation
- Barrett's esophagus surveillance and treatment — high-definition endoscopic surveillance with NBI and targeted biopsy for Barrett's esophagus; radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for flat dysplastic Barrett's; ESD for nodular or focal high-grade dysplasia and early adenocarcinoma within Barrett's esophagus
- Second opinion on endoscopic resectability — review of prior endoscopy reports, images, and pathology for patients who have been told that their lesion is not amenable to endoscopic resection and requires surgery; assessment of ESD or POEM feasibility based on lesion characteristics, location, and prior treatment history
Technical Innovation: ESD and POEM on the World Stage
Dr. Zhou Pinghong's contributions to the development and global dissemination of ESD and POEM extend well beyond his own clinical practice. His research program has produced foundational studies on ESD technique, outcomes, and safety that have been published in the world's leading gastroenterology and endoscopy journals — including Gastroenterology, Gut, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Endoscopy, and American Journal of Gastroenterology — and have been cited extensively in international guidelines and systematic reviews on endoscopic resection of early gastrointestinal cancers.
His work on POEM — including technical refinements, long-term outcomes data, and the extension of the technique to non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders and gastroparesis — has been particularly influential in establishing POEM as a first-line treatment option for achalasia at major centers worldwide. He has delivered invited lectures and live endoscopy demonstrations at major international gastroenterology and endoscopy congresses including Digestive Disease Week (DDW), United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW), and the Asian Pacific Digestive Week (APDW), and has trained visiting endoscopists from dozens of countries at Ruijin Hospital's Endoscopy Center.
His technical innovations — including modifications to the ESD dissection plane, novel approaches to managing submucosal fibrosis during ESD, and refinements to the POEM myotomy technique — have been adopted by endoscopists worldwide and have contributed to the improvement of ESD and POEM outcomes at centers globally. For patients seeking ESD or POEM at one of the world's highest-volume and most technically experienced centers, Dr. Zhou Pinghong and Ruijin Hospital's Endoscopy Center represent a destination of genuine international distinction.
Why International Patients Choose Dr. Zhou Pinghong and Ruijin Hospital
International patients seek consultation and treatment with Dr. Zhou Pinghong for reasons that are both clinically compelling and practically significant.
For patients with early gastrointestinal cancers or large precancerous lesions who have been told that surgery is their only option, Dr. Zhou's assessment frequently identifies ESD as a feasible and curative alternative. The difference between ESD and surgery is not merely one of invasiveness: ESD preserves the stomach, esophagus, or colon intact, eliminates the risks of general anesthesia and surgical complications, requires no external incisions, and allows patients to return to normal diet and activity within days. For a patient facing gastrectomy for early gastric cancer, or esophagectomy for early esophageal cancer, the availability of curative ESD at Ruijin Hospital can be genuinely life-changing.
For patients with achalasia who have been offered surgical Heller myotomy or repeated pneumatic dilations, POEM at Ruijin Hospital offers an endoscopic alternative with equivalent or superior efficacy, no external incisions, and a recovery measured in days. Dr. Zhou's case volume in POEM — among the largest in the world — provides a level of procedural experience and technical refinement that is available at only a small number of centers globally.
For patients who have been told that their lesion is not amenable to endoscopic resection due to size, location, submucosal fibrosis, or prior treatment, Dr. Zhou's expertise in complex ESD — including ESD in the setting of severe submucosal fibrosis, ESD for lesions in technically challenging locations, and EFTR for lesions requiring full-thickness resection — frequently makes endoscopic resection possible where other endoscopists have concluded it is not.
The cost of ESD and POEM at Ruijin Hospital is substantially below that of equivalent procedures in Western healthcare systems, and access to Dr. Zhou's endoscopy schedule can typically be arranged within days through CMCS — in contrast to the weeks or months of waiting that are common at high-volume endoscopy centers in North America, Europe, and Australia.
What to Expect at Your Consultation
Consultations with Dr. Zhou Pinghong at Ruijin Hospital arranged through CMCS begin with a comprehensive review of all prior endoscopy reports and images — including white light and NBI images of the lesion, prior biopsy pathology reports, and any prior endoscopic resection or treatment records — as well as relevant cross-sectional imaging (CT or MRI for staging), tumor marker results, and the patient's gastrointestinal and oncological history. CMCS will arrange certified translation of all medical records, endoscopy reports, and pathology results in advance of the consultation.
Dr. Zhou will assess the lesion characteristics and resectability, evaluate the feasibility and technical approach for ESD, POEM, STER, or other endoscopic intervention, outline the expected procedure, recovery, and follow-up plan, and provide a realistic assessment of the likelihood of curative resection and the need for additional treatment. Where staging or tissue diagnosis is required prior to the endoscopic procedure, CMCS will coordinate the necessary investigations. A written English-language consultation summary is provided after every appointment, and CMCS will facilitate direct communication between Dr. Zhou's team and the patient's home gastroenterologist or oncologist for continuity of care planning.
Book a Consultation Through CMCS
China Medical Concierge Shanghai (CMCS) provides comprehensive end-to-end support for international patients seeking therapeutic endoscopy consultation and treatment with Dr. Zhou Pinghong at Ruijin Hospital. Our services include priority consultation and procedure scheduling with Dr. Zhou's team, certified translation of prior endoscopy reports, pathology results, and imaging, coordination of pre-procedure staging investigations, on-site interpretation throughout the consultation and procedure, post-procedure monitoring and discharge coordination, accommodation recommendations near Ruijin Hospital for patients traveling from abroad, and written English-language reporting of procedure findings and pathology results. CMCS will also facilitate direct communication between Dr. Zhou's team and the patient's home gastroenterologist or oncologist to ensure seamless continuity of care after return.
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