Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology - Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology at Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology at the Albertinen Hospital Hamburgg offers the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with diseases of the urinary system. In addition, the department specializes in the treatment of diseases of the male reproductive system. The department's doctors achieve the greatest success in the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, ureters, urethra, bladder, as well as in the treatment of prostate, testicular and penile diseases. Thanks to long practical experience of the medical staff and excellent medical and technical equipment, the department's specialists admit not only adults, but also children. The department successfully uses the innovative da Vinci Surgical System for sparing surgical treatment of prostate, kidney and bladder cancers. All medical personnel regularly undergo advanced training courses in order to keep up with the times and master the most advanced treatments. In addition, the department's doctors apply a special approach in the treatment of children, since it is very important to establish a trusting relationship with young patients for a successful therapy outcome. The department is headed by Dr. med. Henrik Zecha.

The department's doctors pay great attention to the diagnostics and treatment of prostate cancer, which is the most common malignant disease among men. To treat this type of oncology, the department successfully uses the da Vinci Surgical System. This device allows the specialists to perform high-precision and sparing prostate surgery, which contributes to the fastest postoperative recovery of the patient. During the intervention, all surgical manipulations are performed by the robot's slave manipulators, but at the same time, the commands to the robot are given by the surgeon, who sits at a special control panel and controls every movement of the da Vinci robot. The 3D image of the operating field in multiple zoom allows the surgeon to clearly see all tissues, the smallest vessels and other anatomical structures. Robot-assisted surgery excludes the human factor, such as stress, fatigue, trembling hands, etc. This contributes to the impeccable precision of the surgical procedures and, accordingly, the optimal result of the surgical treatment. The department's specialists have over 10 years of successful experience in performing surgical interventions using robotic systems, which provide millimeter accuracy and do not require long incisions on the patient's body. It should be noted that the team of the department's urologists uses robot-assisted surgery not only for the treatment of prostate cancer, but also for the removal of kidney and bladder tumors.

The department's specialists quite often admit patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. To detect pathology, the doctors carry out clinical examination, ultrasound scanning, PSA test, and other diagnostic tests. As a rule, the treatment involves the use of minimally invasive and endoscopic surgical techniques, with access through the urethra. In addition, it is possible to carry out laser therapy with a thulium laser and affect the pathological focus with an electric current for transurethral resection of the prostate. The treatment method is selected individually for each patient.

The department's specialists also provide effective treatment of urinary incontinence. When a patient is admitted to the department, the attending physician carefully studies his medical history, carries out the necessary tests and diagnostic examinations, such as ultrasound scanning of the upper and lower urinary tract, stress test, cystoscopy, urodynamic testing, etc. Depending on the diagnostic results, the doctor can prescribe either drug treatment or surgery. The therapy involves the use of the most modern techniques, including botulinum toxin A injections into the bladder, sacral neurostimulator implantation, artificial sphincter implantation, sling interventions, etc.

The primary purpose of each employee in the department is to provide the most sparing treatment in a comfortable environment for the patient, taking into account his individual needs and wishes. Important attention in clinical practice is also paid to the performance of all the necessary postoperative rehabilitation measures for the rapid recovery of the patient and his return to everyday life.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics and treatment of prostate diseases
  • Diagnostics and treatment of prostate cancer
    • Watchful waiting for prostate cancer (especially in elderly patients with slow progression of the pathology)
    • Removal of the prostate, seminal vesicles and lymph nodes (robot-assisted or open prostatectomy)
    • Radiation therapy
    • Hormone therapy
    • Chemotherapy
    • Immunotherapy
    • Radionuclide therapy
  • Diagnostics and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia
    • Conservative treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia
      • Alpha blocker therapy
      • 5-alpha reductase inhibitor therapy
    • Surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia
      • Transurethral enucleation of the prostate
      • Transurethral resection of the prostate
      • Open adenomectomy
• Diagnostics and treatment of bladder cancer
  • Endoscopic diagnostics
    • Photodynamic diagnostics using fluorescence
    • Diagnostics using narrow-band imaging
  • Surgical treatment
    • Radical cystectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System
    • Urine diversion
    • Partial bladder resection
    • Chemotherapy and immunotherapy for metastatic bladder cancer
    • Radiation therapy
    • Palliative care
• Diagnostics and treatment of kidney and ureter tumors
  • Partial nephrectomy
    • Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy
    • Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System
  • Total nephrectomy
    • Open radical nephrectomy
    • Laparoscopic nephrectomy
    • Nephrectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System
  • Nephroureterectomy
    • Open radical nephroureterectomy
    • Laparoscopic nephroureterectomy
    • Robot-assisted nephroureterectomy using da Vinci Surgical System
  • Partial resection of the ureter with follow-up replacement
    • Ureteral replacement
    • Ureteroureterostomy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Targeted therapy for metastatic tumors
• Diagnostics and treatment of urinary incontinence
  • Drug therapy
  • Botulinum toxin A injection into the bladder
  • Sacral neuromodulation 
  • Minimally invasive TVT and TOT sling procedures
  • Sparing pelvic floor surgery
    • Laparoscopic surgery
    • Robot-assisted surgery
  • Artificial urinary sphincter implantation
• Diagnostics and treatment of testicular cancer
  • Surgical intervention
  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiation therapy
  • Abdominal lymph node removal
  • Combination of several therapies at the advanced stages
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic services