-From Precision Medicine to Precision Health-

As artificial intelligence ripens day by day, preventive medicine has entered a new era of being "predictable and actionable." On the diagnostic end, medical imaging interpretation has evolved from experience-oriented to AI-driven quantitative analysis, which is widely applied in lesion identification and precise surgical positioning, significantly reducing medical risks. On the preventive end, by integrating multi-source data such as physiological signals and genetic information, AI can construct a cross- domain health assessment system, shifting the healthcare focus from passive treatment to proactive prevention. This systematic and scalable smart architecture not only provides physicians with precise decision support but also lays a critical foundation for the long-term development of future digital healthcare.

• AI Medical Applications

Hybrid Surgery and Postoperative Care

Image-guided technology is a crucial key to the success of minimally invasive surgery. The Department of Medical Imaging established the “Interventional Medicine Center” in 2017, integrating imaging technologies such as ultrasound, X-ray, and computed tomography (CT), and continuously developing hybrid surgery and integrated care models. Through smart imaging, computer navigation, real-time positioning, and cross-professional collaboration, the Hospital elevates surgical precision and safety, combining postgraduate care pathways to assist patients in accelerating recovery and reducing the risk of complications.

Current computer navigation and real-time imaging technologies can already combine Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D positioning systems to assist physicians in conducting three-dimensional simulations and pathway planning prior to surgery, further developing hybrid and minimally invasive surgical models, and being widely applied in precision treatments such as atrial fibrillation ablation, lung cancer biopsy, valve repair, and neurosurgery. Taking neurosurgery as an example, through frameless stereotactic technology, a dual-hybrid intelligent operating room, intraoperative computed tomography (iCT), and a new generation of directional leads, the Hospital can not only elevate positioning precision and surgical safety but also alleviate patient discomfort and shorten surgical time.

Targeting elderly and high-risk patients, the Hospital also continuously provides diverse and individualized minimally invasive treatment options; for instance, water vapor thermal therapy can improve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In terms of valvular heart disease treatment, through the Heart Team mechanism jointly participated by cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, and anesthesia teams, the Hospital integrates transcatheter technologies such as TEER, TAVR, and PTMV, providing safer and more precise treatment schemes for patients unable to undergo conventional open-heart surgery, thereby further improving prognoses and elevating their quality of life.

Beyond surgical treatments, NCKU Hospital also attaches great importance to the quality of postoperative care, with a multi-professional team comprising the Department of Surgery, Department of Anesthesiology, Department of Nursing, Department of Nutrition, and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation jointly promoting the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways. ERAS focuses not only on shortening the length of hospital stay but is a comprehensive care philosophy spanning from preoperative preparation and intraoperative management to postoperative rehabilitation. Through standardized pathways, cross-team collaboration, and active patient participation, surgical recovery is no longer a matter of passive waiting, but rather a planned and goal-oriented journey toward convalescence, assisting patients to return to their daily lives faster and better.

High-Resolution Scenario Simulation

The Hospital actively utilizes emerging imaging-related technologies to continuously cultivate clinical education and patient safety. At the 2025 Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan, the Hospital demonstrated its comprehensive linkage across clinical education, medical device R&D, and surgical training, laying a solid foundation for precision medicine.

The "AR and AI Technology for Prostate Cancer Biopsy" integrates Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality Technology to establish a comprehensive system spanning from image interpretation to clinical training, elevating diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. "Artificial Intelligence 3D Imaging" utilizes deep learning to precisely identify the three-dimensional structures of organs, assisting surgical teams in assessing risks and planning surgical strategies prior to operations. In the critical care field, the exhibited "MR-Integrated CRRT Simulation Learning" provides highly realistic treatment scenarios, enabling healthcare personnel to practice Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy operations within a zero-risk environment, thereby enhancing team proficiency. Lastly, the "Next-Generation Prosthetic/Phantom System" employs a modular and adjustable design to simulate implantation surgical steps, accelerating physicians' mastery of procedural workflows.

Igniting a Dawn of Hope in the Depths of the "King of Cancers"

In the medical world, pancreatic cancer has long been crowned the "King of Cancers" due to its hidden early symptoms and rapid disease progression. However, with medical technology changing with each passing day, NCKU Hospital is centering on "neoadjuvant chemotherapy integrated with surgical resection," supplemented by the precise navigation of artificial intelligence technology, to open up a path toward rebirth for advanced-stage patients amidst despair.

In the past, when a tumor invaded adjacent critical blood vessels, it was often deemed a dead end of "unresectable." Breaking through conventional shackles, NCKU Hospital adopts a strategy of "defend first, attack later." Through systematic neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it precisely shrinks tumor volume and suppresses micrometastases, transforming originally thorny lesions into opportunities for surgery. This is not merely a fine-tuning of the treatment sequence, but a monumental leap in the strategy against the demon of cancer.

Taking a patient troubled by jaundice and weight loss as an example, their tumor once tightly entangled the portal vein, making surgery extremely difficult. Yet, after four months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the tumor miraculously shrunk. The medical team immediately demonstrated outstanding technique, successfully completing an extended resection surgery combined with vascular reconstruction. Two years post-surgery, the patient remains as healthy as ever, which serves as the most moving empirical evidence of precision medicine.

NCKU Hospital deeply believes that through the deep linkage of technology and medical skill, it will certainly break through medical dilemmas, implementing its firm commitment to safeguarding life, and letting the dawn of hope shine into every dark corner.

AI-assisted diagnostics

With the elevation of medical imaging resolution and real-time capabilities, utilizing AI deep learning models to automatically recognize images and label the positions, ranges, and characteristics of lesions can assist physicians in rapidly mastering key information within pathological biopsies or various types of examination slides. This reduces the burden of manual annotation and repetitive interpretation, while simultaneously lowering the inconsistencies caused by subjective differences.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hospital integrated cross-professional teams, including the College of Medicine and the Department of Architecture, to build the mobile screening station "m.COV-tainer." Its built-in "Mobile X-ray Examination System" could utilize AI to rapidly interpret suspected cases and assist in implementing triage management, which was practically applied in NCKU Hospital, NCKU Hospital Dou-Liou Branch, and the Tainan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

NCKU Hospital deeply integrates the academic and research capabilities of the main campus to develop the "Acute Chest Pain AI Prediction Model" with substantial practical combat value. This system can precisely perform a three-tier triage for chest pain patients: targeting "high-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS)" for immediate intervention, screening out "low-risk and safe-to-return-home" cases, and identifying "low-risk but requiring hospital observation" patients. This move not only drastically elevates the clinical decision-making efficiency of emergency physicians but also effectively avoids the meaningless consumption of medical resources, optimizing care quality.

Furthermore, the Department of Internal Medicine team, targeting clinical image interpretation, has developed the "Bile Duct Stone AI Interpretation System." This system can assist radiologists in precisely identifying hidden true-positive images within massive computed tomography (CT) data, and automatically contouring the position of common bile duct stones. Through this technology, it effectively reduces the burden of manual interpretation and the risk of misdiagnosis, realizing a more precise digital diagnosis and treatment environment.

• Precision and Diversified Treatments

Cross-Departmental Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment

NCKU Hospital combines cross-departmental integration with individualized treatment strategies, spanning from oncology, rare diseases, and endocrine metabolism to otolaryngology and special needs dental care, to gradually construct a more precise, comprehensive, and warmer medical care model. In the face of different disease types, progression variations, and differences in patient conditions, the medical team utilizes cross-professional collaboration, innovative treatment technologies, and continuous tracking support to assist patients in obtaining more appropriate treatment options.

Genetic Information Analysis

To provide precision genetic testing and personalized medical care, the Hospital established the Department of Genomic Medicine as early as 2020. This department integrates cross-disciplinary resources within the hospital, including clinical care, genetic testing, and bioinformatics analysis, establishing novel treatment models for genetic diseases and cancer to safeguard the health of the Taiwanese public.

In recent years, benefiting from advancements in artificial intelligence technology, the Hospital has not only significantly shortened the analysis time of sequencing data and elevated interpretation accuracy, but has also played a crucial role in exploring the etiologies of complex and polygenic diseases. By integrating multi-omics data such as genetic variation, expression levels, epigenetics, and clinical phenotypes, the system accelerates the identification of key pathogenic genes and regulatory pathways, assisting in breaking through the limitations of traditional single-gene analysis.

The Department of Genomic Medicine also collaborates closely with the Genomic Medicine Center of National Cheng Kung University to continuously provide the most advanced sequencing technologies and diagnostic platforms, expand service items, and develop gene regulatory networks and disease association maps. This further supports clinical physicians in their diagnostic and treatment judgments for patients, promoting the localized practical application of targeted therapy, precision medication, disease prevention, and cross-disease risk assessment for a wider range of medical conditions.