Hystory, current state and development prospects of the Department of Endocrine Surgery of the State Institution «V.P. Komisarenko Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine»

Abstract

Department of Endocrine Surgery (Department) of the State Institution «V.P. Komisarenko Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine» (Institute) today has more than 55 years since the beginning of its existence. Until the 50s of the last century, endocrine surgery was represented mainly by operations on the thyroid gland, the vast majority of which were performed in Departments of General Surgery. In 1965, on the initiative of Academician V.P. Komisarenko, the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR was established in Kyiv. This is how the Institute was called at the time of its creation and for many years to come. From the first days of the Institute’s work, a Department of Surgery began to function in its structure, which was headed by a 32-year-old candidate of medical sciences, assistant of the Department of General Surgery of the Kyiv Medical Institute I.V. Komisarenko. The activity of the clinic from the first days was characterized by high surgical activity and a wide range of interventions. From the very beginning, the Department performed all types of operations for thyroid diseases, but a few months later, the first total bilateral adrenalectomy for Itsenko-Cushing’s disease, adrenalectomy for tumors of the adrenal cortex, pheochromocytoma were performed. Patients were operated on for hyperparathyroidism, polycystic ovaries, hormonally active tumors of the pancreas, abnormalities of sexual development. In 1977, the construction of the clinical building was completed, and a 40-bed unit was provided to the Department. In recent years, the Department has performed almost 1.500 surgical interventions annually. The Institute’s clinic has created an original modern computer system for collecting, processing and storing medical information — TherDep. Thanks to its own developments and experience, the staff of the Department introduced a large number of new methods for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases of the endocrine glands into the practice of healthcare in Ukraine. The priority of these developments is confirmed by more than 900 published scientific works, 38 patents, and 7 monographs. One of the promising directions in endocrine surgery, which the Department deals with today, is the development and implementation into practice of minimally invasive methods for treating diseases of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and parathyroid glands, as well as the introduction of genetic testing.