Department of Urology, Seoul National University Hospital            June. 19. 2002
 

 Department of Urology, Seoul National University Hospital

History

  Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) is located in the district of Chongno-Ku, which is the heart of central Seoul. In the past, this current hospital location had once been the main campus of Seoul National University (SNU), the first national university in modern Korean history. However, in 1975, all other colleges in SNU relocated to Kwanak Campus, located in the southern part of Seoul, leaving the College of Medicine at its original site in Yongon-Dong. Currently, the SNU College of Medicine and SNUH bear a 91,651m2 space, which is comprised of medical research, education, and practice complex. SNUH, as a general hospital, which holds 1,500 beds has been renovated in 1978. In addition, in 1985, this hospital had become the very first in Asia to establish the largest children’s hospital to include 259 beds at that time. In addition to the clinical facilities, medical research had been fortified by the establishment of the Clinical Research Institute in 1998, offering a research-oriented hospital. SNU College of Medicine and its affiliated SNUH is made up of extraordinary and competent students and faculties, taking on the responsibility in making it the leading institute in Korea’s field of medicine.

  The history of the Department of Urology, SNU College of Medicine goes back to the Japanese Colonial Occupation (1910-1945). The Department of Dermatology-Urology had been established at Kyongsong Imperial University, which had been the most renowned university in Korea at the time. With the establishment of SNU College of Medicine in 1946, Dermatology and Urology sector had separated, thus formally making it two independent departments. Since the day Professor Jae-We Choi had become appointed as the Chairman of the Department of Urology SNU College of Medicine in 1946, 125 Board-certified urologists have been produced.  Prominent faculties of the Department of Urology in the most prestigious medical institutes such as Asan Medical Center and Samsung Medical Center are proud alumni of the Department of Urology, SNUH and SNU College of Medicine.

Faculty

  Currently, there are nine faculties that both teach at the SNU as well as perform clinical practices in the Department of Urology, SNUH. They are responsible for medical education, research, and practice.

   Professor Hwang Choi is currently the General Director of SNU Children’s Hospital. He has studied pediatric urology under Professor John Duckett in Philadelphia. After his return to Korea, he became the founder and the introducer of modern pediatric urology in Korea and began research in regards to congenital genitourinary tract anomalies. In particular, Professor Choi has written numerous clinical papers in regards to disorders such as vesicoureteral reflux, ureteropelvic junction obstruction, and duplex urethral anomalies.

   Professor Sang Eun Lee has specialized in urological oncology. In particular, Professor Lee has much experience in surgical procedures including surgery for renal cell carcinoma, radical cystectomy, and radical prostatectomy. In recent years, he is attempting on practicing the laparoscopic approach in operations. In addition, Professor Lee, with his collaborators is conducting research on prostate cancer and its molecular biology and related gene therapy.  

   Professor Jae-Seung Paick, currently the Chairman of the Department, has studied andrology. He is known to be a prominent surgeon in the specialization of male sexual dysfunction. He is currently attempting and contributing much effort into the development of drugs to manage erectile dysfunction as well as evaluating the effectiveness of these drugs through animal experiments.

   Professor Kwang Myung Kim is very much interested in pediatric voiding dysfunction. With the collaboration of doctors in related departments, he opened the Meningomyelocele Clinic serving cares for patients and their parents. He has affluent experience in reconstructive surgery in the neurogenic bladder. In addition, as the Chairman of the Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society, he has successfully carried out the 2001 annual meeting held in Seoul.

   Associate Professor Eunsik Lee has specialized in oncology and mostly treats prostate and bladder cancer. He holds much experience in urinary diversion through the utilization of the intestine. He is carrying out epidemiological research as well as the research of the molecular biology of the tumor. At this current time, he is conducting research in regards to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate disorder through the use of transrectal ultrasound.

   Associate Professor Hyeon Hoe Kim is practing endourology and urinary stone. He is the very first to introduce laparoscopy surgery in the department. With clinical experiments in laparoscopic renal surgery, he has written and presented several theses papers. In regards to urinary calculi, he is actively researching and seeking prevention of urinary stones with the use of oxalobacter. The research regarding obstructive uropathy and urolithiasis as well as clinical studies in relation to catheter and stent is pursued in joint collaboration with Assistant Professor Seung-June Oh.    

   Assistant Professor Soo Woong Kim is studying male erectile dysfunction and male infertility. In collaboration with Professor Jae-Seung Paick, Professor Kim has performed basic experiments using molecular biology technology. In addition, using in vivo animal experiment, he is evaluating the efficacy of various drugs and its mechanisms of action in male erectile dysfunction. In recent years, Professor Kim has gained much interest in female dysfunctions and is in the process of beginning a basic experiment.

   As his subspecialty in voiding dysfunction, Assistant Professor Seung-June Oh is very much interested in neurogenic bladder and pelvic floor dysfunction. He is in charge of consultation of voiding dysfunction from other departments in SNUH and is operating an urodynamic laboratory. Currently, he is much interested in the evaluation of the patients suffering from voiding dysfunction of various causes using both subjective symptoms and objective urodynamic data. In addition, the assessment of the quality of life interests him. He is also currently operating the smooth muscle physiology research lab and has acquired successive achievements.

Facilities and Activities

   The urology ward consists of 34 beds for adult patients and seven beds for children. There are three operation rooms in the Operation Theater, three cystoscopy rooms, one shock wave lithotripter room, and two urodynamic laboratories. In particular, urodynamic study is conducted through the use of fluoroscopic urotable. The outpatient section consists of four examination rooms and one cystoscope room, ultrasound room, and andrology laboratory. Center for Incontinence and Catheter aids the biofeedback for incontinent patients and educating and informing clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) to the patients. A special nurse is arranged in order to educate CIC to patients suffering from voiding dysfunction. In 2001, 47,000 outpatients and 1,850 surgeries have been performed. 2,400 cystoscopic procedures and 450 shock wave lithotripsy treatments, as well as 900 video-urodynamic study had been performed.

Education

  Two years for pre-medical course and four years in medical school is required in Korea. The urology curriculum at SNU College of Medicine is prepared for the senior class in medical school. Nineteen hours of lecture and two weeks of practical training are required. Only after the completion of one-year internship and four-year residency can one become a urology specialist. And finally, one must pass the Board Examination managed by the Korean Urological Association at the end of the residency. In the instance of male doctors, it would take approximately 14 years after one’s admission to medical school in order to become an urologist due to the obligatory three-year military service. In the College of Medicine, the field of urology is comprised of just three residents in each year, totaling 12 residents. Residents gain much practical knowledge and experience through medical practice of patients. In addition, they are given the opportunity to attend various conferences and present one’s dissertations, thus producing great accomplishment through theoretical aspects. The rotation schedule furthermore enables students to attend various types of lab experiments in order to gain research abilities and trainings.

Research

  The research usually takes place in the Clinical Research Institute of the SNUH. This 11-story building (22,277m2) is an independent building. Due to its state-of-the art equipment and technical assistants aid the research to proceed effectively and successfully. The building includes of SPF animal housing, analytical chemistry lab, tissue bank, occupational medicine research center, radio-isotope lab, genomic research lab, flowcytometry, protein lab, pathology lab, microbiology lab, digital image lab and other core labs. Beds are available for the volunteered that have chosen take part in various clinical trials. This particular laboratory is in the process of researching frequent clinical problems regarding oncology, andrology, urolithiasis and voiding dysfunctions. In the urology laboratory bench, facilities and tools for molecular biological research, cell culture system, in vivo as well as in vitro animal experiments are available. The physiology lab in our department is utilized to study urinary bladder and urethra using small animals. In vivo experiments, in vitro organ bath study, various immunohistochemistry, and cellular biology are being conducted. Research laboratories not only conduct experiments, but also become a training center for residents.

   Papers published in the international journals from the Department of Urology average about 10-20 annually. 20-40 papers are published in domestic journals. The rapid increase in funds may likely lead to an increase in publications in the near future.

   The Department of Urology of SNU College of Medicine / SNUH is putting much effort in becoming an affluent and efficient department. We are doing everything in our power to become a pioneer and obtain firm determination in carrying on the responsibility in improving the medical field of Korea once again in the coming 21st century.

 

Staff Members

Hwang Choi, M.D.	Sang Eun Lee, M.D	Jae-Seung Paick, M.D.	Kwang Myung Kim, M.D.
Eunsik Lee, M.D.	Hyeon Hoe Kim, M.D.	Soo Woong Kim, M.D.	Seung-June Oh, M.D.
Hwancheol Son, M.D.

Full-time academic faculty in Seoul National University Hospital

Hwang Choi, M.D.

Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-3644

Fax: +82-2-744-7931

hchoi@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Pediatric urology

Basic research:

Clinical research in the management of congenital anomalies of the genitourinary tract: associated anomalies in duplex system and vesicoureteral reflux

Developmental physiology of urinary bladder smooth muscle

Sang Eun Lee, M.D.

Professor

Tel: +82-31-787-7341

Fax: +82-31-787-4057

urology@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Urological oncology

Basic research:

Gene therapy in advanced prostate cancer study on the genetic alteration in urological malignancies

Targeted gene therapy using PSA promoter and enhancer in advanced prostate cancer

Antiangiogenic gene therapy using thrombospondin expression vector in prostate cancer

Apoptosis-inducing gene therapy using antisense of clusterin in bladder cancer

Epidemiolgy of benign and malignant prostatic disease

Early screening of prostate cancer

Study on the long-term follow up of renal and bladder cancer

Jae-Seung Paick, M.D.

Chairman of the Department of Urology, SNUH

Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2422

Fax: +82-2-762-2428

jspaick@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Andrology (Impotence, male infertility), Female urology

Basic research:              

A genetic causes of azoospermia

Molecular and biochemical bases of penile erection

Instrumentation of diagnostic tools for impotence

Kwang Myung Kim, M.D.

Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2407

Fax: +82-2-747-9824

kwang@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Pediatric urology

Basic research:

Change of collagen and the bladder compliance in obstructed bladder

IFN-gamma in other diseases to decrease collagen content

Eunsik Lee, M.D.

Associate Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2915

eslee@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Urological oncology

Basic research:

Extraction of effective fraction of BCG for reducing recurrence of superficial bladder tumor

Natural history of prostatic disease between Caucasians and Korean

Drug-resistant human bladder tumor

Hyeon Hoe Kim, M.D.

Associate Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2425

hhkim@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Endourology, Urinary stone

Basic research:

Animal model for urolithiasis

In vitro experiments on the pathogenesis of urinary stone formation

Soo Woong Kim, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2426

swkim@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Andrology (Impotence, male infertility), Female urology

Basic research:

A genetic counseling system

Infertile male by investigating the azoospermia factor on the long arm of Y chromosome

Intracellular signal transduction pathway and effects of androgen during penile erection

Seung-June Oh, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Tel: +82-2-2072-2406

sjo@snu.ac.kr

Clinical work: Neurourology, Endourology

Basic research:

Functional study on the genito-urinary smooth muscles

Pathophysiology of overactive bladder

Search for the potentially useful drugs against voiding dysfunction

Full-time academic faculty in Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital

Department Address

395, Shindaebang-dong, Tongjak-ku Seoul, 176-707, Korea

Tel: +82-2-840-2465

Fax: +82-2-831-0714

Hwancheol Son, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Tel: +82-2-870-2301

Fax: +82-2-831-0714  

volley@brm.co.kr

Clinical work: Andrology, Voiding dysfunction

Basic research:

Andrology

Smooth muscle physiology

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