Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara

The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology has been for more than 25 years an independent discipline within the "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy and an independent Department of the County Emergency Hospital from Timisoara. During these years, the quality of medical care, scientific research, as well as educational activity performed here (training students, young doctors and researchers), transformed our Department in a medical landmark in the Western part of Romania.

The Head of Department is Prof. Dr. Ioan Sporea, member of the Academy of Medical Sciences. The medical staff includes Prof. Dr. Roxana Sirli, Prof. Dr. Alina Popescu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adriala Goldis, Lecturer Dr. Mirela Danila, as well as seven Assistant Professors: Dr. Alexandra Deleanu, Dr. Iulia Ratiu,  Dr. Bogdan Muitescu, Dr. Ruxandra Mare, Dr. Felix Bende, Dr. Tudor Moga and Dr. Ana-Maria Ghiuchici.

Our Department includes, besides an in-hospital compartment with 40 beds and 5 day-hospital beds, an endoscopy compartment and an ultrasound compartment, both with notable results regarding scientific and clinical activity. We should mention that, starting with 2007, the Training Center in Ultrasonography established in 1995 became a Center of Education of the World Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) and, from 2014, an Ultrasound Learning Center of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB). Our Department is very visible at European and world level in the field of Ultrasound, especially through research activities regarding contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis.

Regarding clinical activity, an important component is the one in the endoscopy compartment, where advanced techniques are performed, such as the endoscopic treatment of upper digestive haemorrhages (24 hours a day), retrograde endoscopic cholangio-pancreatography, palliative treatment of digestive neoplasms.

The research and scientific activity in our Department is concentrated on several fields of research in gastroenterology and hepatology, the main ones being the diagnosis, modern therapy and surveillance of chronic viral hepatopathies; percutaneous treatment and surveillance of liver tumors; early detection and management of colorectal cancer as well as diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Regarding chronic hepatopathies, our Department is one of the European and world spearheads in the research on non-invasive diagnosis by means of ultrasound based elastography, materialized through numerous articles published in impact factor journals, as well as by Prof. Sporea's participation in the elaboration of the EFSUMB Elastography Guidelines in 2013, revised in 2017, of the WFUMB Elastography Guidelines from 2015, of the WFUMB Elastography Guidelines in the Liver form 2018, of the EFSUMB guidelines in Interventional ultrasound from 2018, as well as of the EFSUMB guidelines of Gastrointestinal Ultrasound. Regarding the treatment of chronic hepatopathies, numerous studies have been performed in our Department, materialized through articles published in impact factor journals, to mention those regarding the treatment of hemodialysis patients with chronic HCV hepatitis, which is a priority.