Department of Neurology and Early Neurological Rehabilitation - Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

About the Department of Neurology and Early Neurological Rehabilitation at Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

The Department of Neurology and Early Neurological Rehabilitation at the Albertinen Hospital Hamburg offers the full range of services in its areas of specialization in accordance with the high standards of European medicine. The department has extensive experience in the treatment of stroke, one of the most common and life-threatening neurological diseases throughout the world. The department has a certified Stroke Unit with state-of-the-art equipment for the treatment of this pathology. The department is one of the few medical complexes in Germany where stroke treatment and phase A and B early neurological rehabilitation are carried out under one roof. The department is also deservedly proud of its excellent results in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, multiple sclerosis, carotid stenosis, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, encephalitis, meningitis, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, brain tumors, and other neurological pathologies. Patients in the department are offered modern treatment methods with proven effectiveness. The department's medical team consists of competent neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, social workers, and specially trained nursing staff. The goal of the specialists is to provide high-quality medical services in a comfortable environment for the patient. The Head Physician of the department is PD Dr. med. Michael Rosenkranz.

The primary focus of the department's clinical practice is the treatment of stroke. This acute cerebrovascular accident often causes disability. Treatment takes place in a specialized Stroke Unit. Therapeutic options include thrombolysis (dissolution of a blood clot using drugs) and mechanical thrombectomy (percutaneous removal of a blood clot using catheter-based techniques). The department treats over 800 stroke patients every year, indicating a high level of specialization in this area. In addition to treatment, special attention is paid to prevention, and physicians perform comprehensive diagnostic examinations to assess the risk of acute cerebrovascular accident. Preventive measures are particularly important for people who have had a myocardial infarction or who suffer from arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia or diabetes mellitus. These conditions significantly increase the risk of stroke and require an individualized approach, including drug therapy and lifestyle modification.

The department's key area of ​​specialization is also phase A and B rehabilitation for patients after a stroke, with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain malignancies, polyneuropathies, myopathies, and after complex surgical interventions on the brain. The task of the department's medical team during the early phase of rehabilitation treatment is to maximize the restoration of lost brain functions in order to provide the person with a high degree of independence in everyday life. Phases A and B of rehabilitation begin immediately after the completion of active intensive care. Otherwise, there is a high risk of developing irreversible neurological deficits. The department has formed an interdisciplinary team of experienced specialists for rehabilitation treatment, consisting of neurologists, neuropsychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and specially trained nursing staff. An integral part of the rehabilitation process in the department is training on advanced robotic simulators. They are of particular value for restoring walking skills in patients with movement restrictions after a stroke or other neurological disorders. Training on simulators takes place under constant medical supervision, with the intensity and frequency of training being determined individually depending on the patient's rehabilitation potential. The department is certified in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 in the field of early neurological rehabilitation, which indicates exceptional competence in this medical field.

The department's neurologists regularly treat patients with Parkinson's disease, which is one of the most common and complex pathologies of the nervous system. Parkinson's disease causes movement disorders, postural disorders, mental disorders, and other health problems. As a rule, the pathology affects older people (after 60 years). There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, so it is important to diagnose it early and begin treatment to slow the progression of symptoms. The first-line treatment is drug therapy, which is prescribed on an individual basis after a comprehensive neurological examination. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are also recommended. In most cases, patients with Parkinson's disease are treated on an outpatient basis.

Another priority focus of the department's clinical practice is the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The pathology is characterized by a malfunction of the immune system, against the background of which it mistakenly attacks the cells of the myelin sheath of nerve fibers. Multiple sclerosis is most often diagnosed in women, and the causes of its development are unknown. The pathology causes many symptoms, including numbness and tingling in various parts of the body, difficulty moving, an unsteady gait, decreased visual acuity, double vision, seizures, fatigue, anxiety, and depressive disorders. At the diagnostic stage, the department's neurologists carefully study the patient's medical history, perform magnetic resonance imaging and a lumbar puncture with a cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and also conduct neurophysiological studies. To date, there are no methods that would allow a complete cure of multiple sclerosis, but neurologists have effective methods for relieving symptoms and preventing the progression of the pathology and disability of the patient. Multiple sclerosis most often occurs in waves, which means that the exacerbation phase is replaced by a remission phase. In cases of exacerbation, the department's specialists treat patients with glucocorticoids in high doses and prescribe plasmapheresis and other therapeutic procedures. When remission occurs, therapy with immunomodulators (drugs that correct the functioning of the immune system) and immunosuppressants (drugs that suppress the immune response) is recommended. A treatment regimen for multiple sclerosis is prescribed, taking into account the severity of the pathology, the frequency of exacerbations, the patient's age, his or her general condition, and other factors.

The department specializes in the diagnostics and treatment of the following neurological disorders:

• Neurovascular diseases
  • Stroke
  • Disturbance of blood supply to the spinal cord
  • Carotid artery stenosis
• Movement disorders
  • Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism
  • Essential tremor
  • Ataxia
  • Dystonia and dyskinesia
  • Restless legs syndrome
  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus
  • Motor neurone disease
• Cognitive and behavioral disorders
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Lewy body dementia
  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Corticobasal degeneration
  • Transient global amnesia
• Inflammatory diseases of the nervous system
  • Multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica
  • Encephalitis
  • Myelitis
  • Meningitis
  • Myasthenia gravis
• Epilepsy
• Paroxysmal extreme pain disorders
• Tumors of the nervous system
  • Meningiomas
  • Gliomas
  • Lymphomas
• Diseases of the peripheral nervous system
  • Peripheral nerve compression syndromes
  • Polyneuropathies
• Neuromuscular diseases
  • Myositis
  • Muscular dystrophies
  • Metabolic and toxic myopathies
• Other neurological diseases

The department's range of diagnostic and therapeutic services includes the following:

• Diagnostic services
  • Ultrasound examinations
    • Color duplex sonography
    • Dopplerography
    • Contrast-enhanced sonography
  • Electrophysiological studies
    • Electroencephalography
    • Electromyography
    • Electroneurography
    • Registration of evoked potentials
  • Lumbar puncture with a cerebrospinal fluid analysis
  • Imaging tests
    • Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging, including MR angiography
    • Computed tomography, including CT angiography and CT perfusion
    • Angiography
    • X-ray
  • Neurophysiological studies
  • Videoendoscopic evaluation of swallowing
• Therapeutic services
  • Emergency medical care for a stroke
    • Thrombolysis
    • Mechanical thrombectomy
  • Stroke prevention
    • Preventive drug treatment (prescribed on an individual basis)
    • Carotid endarterectomy
    • Drug and interventional treatment of arrhythmias and other pathologies that could potentially cause a stroke
  • Drug treatment of neurological diseases: pills, infusions, and injection therapy
  • Physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises
  • Classes with a speech therapist
  • Occupational therapy
  • Balneophysiotherapy
• Other diagnostic and treatment methods