The Department of Neurosurgery was founded in the 1970s by Dr. ZHU Xianli, a renowned neurosurgeon. He led the department to carry out surgical treatment for sellar region lesions featured by microneurosurgery in Yasargil's way.

When it entered the 21st century, Directors of Neurosurgery Dept., Dr. ZHAO Hongyang and JIANG Xiaobing, led the department into a period of rapid development based on the minimally invasive concept. Innovational surgeries, including Gamma knife treatment, keyhole surgery, transsphenoidal microscopic and endoscopic pituitary adenoma surgery, and endoscopic third ventriculostomy, stereotactic biopsy, neuronavigation-assisted surgery, microdiscectomy, minimally invasive surgery for cerebral hemorrhage, endovascular intervention, functional neurosurgery et al., were successively carried out and achieved optimal outcomes for numerous patients. Dr. Zhao and Jiang advocated innovation, diversity, and subspecialty in neurosurgery. Since then, nine subspecialties, including intracranial neoplasm, stereotactic radiosurgery, cerebrovascular disease, spine and spinal cord disease, endoscopic skull base surgery, functional neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, neuro-critical care, and traumatic brain injury, were established by efforts of all colleagues. Moreover, seven subspecialties, including intracranial neoplasm, stereotactic radiosurgery, cerebrovascular disease, spine and spinal cord disease, endoscopic skull base surgery, functional neurosurgery, traumatic brain injury are recognized by their fellow neurosurgeons and ranked high in the country. The department also leads several multi-disciplinary teams (MDT), such as MDT for Gliomas, MDT for Cerebrovascular Diseases, MDT for Pituitary Adenomas and MDT for Functional Diseases, and provides multi-disciplinary consultation and therapeutic advice, which benefit patients greatly.

In a half-century, Neurosurgery Department's bed capacities have grown from 18 to nearly 250, including 24 laminar flow wards, and more than 5,000 patients received surgical treatment here every year. Six specialized digital operating rooms (OR) are designated to the department, including a multifunctional OR equipped with most advanced intraoperative magnetic resonance and fourth-generation neuro-navigation system, and a hybrid OR equipped with a double C-arm 3D-DSA workstation and intraoperative CT, which facilitate collaborative and efficient care for difficult and complex cases. In addition, the ORs are routinely equipped with Storz ultra-high-definition neuroendoscopes, fluorescence surgical microscope, C-arm X-ray machine, intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring station, dynamic video EEG monitoring, Craniotomy drill and mill systems, CUSA and various microneurosurgery equipment, these ensure best surgical care for the patients. The Stereotactic Radiotherapy Center, which treated nearly 10,000 patients with intracranial tumors, cerebrovascular and functional diseases for more than 20 years, has recently installed the third-generation brand-new ELEKTA gamma knife treatment system.

In addition to clinical work,the department also addresses the importance to design a proper echelon of talents and encourage scientific research and teaching. There are forty-nine physicians, ten professors and chief physicians, nine associate professors and associate chief physicians in the department. Forty-one physicians have obtained Doctor of Medicine and five physicians have completed the postdoctoral fellowship. Neurosurgery Dept. began to recruit graduate students in 1983 and doctoral students in 1987, and launched postdoctoral fellowship in 1995. More than 50 doctoral and 100 graduate students completed their training in the department and have become experts and leaders in their subspecialties. Colleagues in the department have won sixteen National Natural Science Foundation Projects, three national sub-projects, 27 provincial and ministerial projects, published more than 100 SCI papers, compiled and participated in the compilation or translation of thirty professional books or monograph.

Aside from self-improvement, the department takes responsibility for improving the diagnosis and treatment of neurosurgical conditions across the country and province as well as the municipality. Dr. ZHU Xianli once published the first series of videos Introduction to Microneurosurgery, and taught several national microneurosurgery technique promotion classes, which played a critical role in promoting the microneurosurgery techniques in the country. In the past 5 years, the department has taught 28 continuous medical education courses, 9 special skills training courses (neuroendoscopy, spinal instrumentation), hosted the 12th Annual Meeting of the Neurosurgery of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and the 2020 Annual Academic Meeting of National Neuroendoscopy, and trained more than 150 physicians and more than 2000 trainees from several provinces and cities across the country.

At present, Neurosurgery Dept. has established Wuhan Stroke Fast Response Medical Consortium (thirty-six hospitals), Neuroendoscopy Medical Consortium (seventy hospitals), and Spine and Spinal Cord Disease Medical Consortium (forty hospitals). The department is the Hubei Provincial Cerebrovascular Disease Quality Control and Research Center, the China Health Commission Continuing Education Center Skull Base Surgery Training Site, the China Health Commission and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association Endoscopy Training Site, one ofthe first Neurosurgery Specialists Training Sites and Standardized Residency Training Site for Neurosurgeons.