Pericardial drainage to treat pericarditis in Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt am Main

About the department

The Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Cardiology and Pulmonology at the Hospital Nordwest Frankfurt am Main offers the high-precision diagnostics and modern conservative treatment methods for patients with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, respiratory tract and heart. The department's medical team has a huge arsenal of state-of-the-art diagnostic devices for endoscopic examinations, ultrasound examinations, pulmonary function testing and cardiac catheter-assisted diagnostics. The therapeutic options of the medical facility are also quite extensive – from drug therapy and endoscopic therapeutic procedures to therapeutic cardiac catheter-assisted procedures. The department has a specialized Chest Pain Unit certified by the German Cardiac Society. The patients with acute coronary syndrome, heart arrhythmias and syncopes can receive emergency care here. The department's medical team works for the benefit of its patients providing them with top-class diagnostics and treatment. The department offers a pleasant and friendly atmosphere for the patient to feel as comfortable as possible. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Siegbert Rossol.

The department's specialists pay special attention to the treatment of diseases of the stomach and bowel, since many pathologies in this area can be asymptomatic and eventually develop into cancer. For example, bowel polyps are precursors of a precancerous condition. Thanks to the presence of advanced endoscopic equipment in the department, gastroenterologists carry out an accurate diagnostic examination of the bowel (colonoscopy) and, if required, sparing interventional treatment, which helps to prevent the development of many dangerous diseases. If polyps are detected in the bowel during colonoscopy, the department's doctors take tissue samples, which will be sent for histological examination after the procedure in order to exclude a malignant process. Should cancer be confirmed, the patient will be appointed additional diagnostic tests, based on the results of which an optimal treatment regimen is developed. Each clinical case is considered at an interdisciplinary tumor board with the participation of gastroenterologists, oncologists, surgeons, radiologists and other specialists. Upon the completion of treatment, the patient will regularly undergo follow-up check-ups for several years to exclude recurrences.

An equally important focus of ​​the department's clinical practice is the treatment of liver diseases. When admitted to the department, a patient with suspected liver disease undergoes a number of diagnostic tests, including breath tests to assess liver function, elastography and ultrasound scanning. In case of liver cancer, a surgical resection of the tumor is often the main treatment option. It is performed in collaboration with surgeons. Whenever required, the specialists from related medical fields are involved in the therapeutic process, including radiologists who perform radiofrequency ablation, transarterial chemoembolization and selective internal radiation therapy. Liver cirrhosis, which increases the risk of developing liver cancer, is also a fairly common disease in the clinical practice of the department's hepatologists. The patients with liver cirrhosis receive effective drug therapy. If complications occur (for example, ascites or bleeding from esophageal and gastric varices, surgical treatment will become an option of choice.

In the field of cardiology, the focus is on catheter-assisted diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In addition, the department operates a Chest Pain Unit dealing with treatment of the patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmias and syncopes. The Chest Pain Unit admits patients 24-hours a day. The competence ​​of the department's cardiologists also includes the treatment of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic and inflammatory diseases of the heart valves.

The department provides comprehensive diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the lungs and other organs of the respiratory system. Of particular interest is the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the lungs, bronchi and pleura, the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary emphysema. The department's specialists have vast experience in the treatment of interstitial lung diseases, respiratory muscle weakness, pulmonary circulatory disorders and sleep-related breathing disorders. The department's pulmonologists often have to deal with the treatment of neoplasms of the respiratory system, including malignant ones. Should lung cancer be suspected, thoracic surgeons will be involved in the therapeutic process.

It should be noted that the department's medical team has long experience in the treatment of pleurisy and pneumonia. When admitted to the department, the patient undergoes a comprehensive diagnostic examination, which includes laboratory tests, pulmonary function tests, ultrasound scanning, radiography, bronchoscopy, spirometry, spiroergometry, etc. The patients with acute pulmonary insufficiency receive medical care in the Intensive Care Unit, which offers all the necessary therapeutic procedures, including non-invasive mechanical ventilation.

The department's service range includes:

• Gastroenterology and hepatology
  • Endoscopic diagnostics of gastrointestinal and liver diseases
    • Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
    • Colonoscopy
    • Sigmoidoscopy
    • Rectoscopy
    • Rectosigmoidoscopy
    • Enteroscopy
    • Small and large bowel capsule endoscopy 
    • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) 
    • Interventional endosonography
  • Endoscopic therapeutic procedures
    • Polypectomy
    • Mucosectomy
    • Argon plasma coagulation
    • Endoscopic treatment of hemorrhoids
  • Ultrasound diagnostics of gastrointestinal and liver diseases
    • Elastography
    • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound scanning
    • Cytopuncture
    • Histological examinations
    • Duplex ultrasonography and color Doppler ultrasonography of the abdominal and peripheral vessels
  • Functional diagnostics of gastrointestinal and liver diseases
    • Helicobacter pylori breath tests
    • Breath tests to assess liver and pancreatic function
    • Breath tests for food intolerances (lactose, fructose, sorbitol)
    • Breath tests for bacterial overgrowth syndrome
    • pH-metry and manometry of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract
• Pulmonology
  • Endoscopic diagnostics of lung, pleural, airway diseases
    • Rigid and flexible bronchoscopy
    • Endobronchial ultrasound
    • Biopsy
    • Diagnostic bronchoalveolar lavage
    • Flow cytometry
    • Thoracoscopy
  • Pulmonary function testing and diagnostics of sleep-related breathing disorders
    • Spirometry
    • Body plethysmography
    • Blood gas test
    • Assessment of the diffusion capacity of the lungs
    • Measurement of nasal airway resistance
    • Inhalation provocation tests
    • Spiroergometry (stress and resting)
    • Polysomnography
    • Allergic tests
  • Therapeutic procedures
    • Cryotherapy
    • Laser therapy
    • Therapeutic bronchoalveolar lavage
    • Stent implantation
    • Lung volume reduction using endoscopic techniques
    • Mechanical ventilation
• Cardiology
  • Diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases
    • Diagnostic cardiac catheterization
    • Electrophysiology studies
    • Angiography
    • 3D percutaneous ultrasound scanning of the heart and aorta
  • Treatment of cardiovascular diseases
    • Cryoablation
    • Radiofrequency ablation
    • Vascular stent implantation (catheter-assisted techniques)
    • Emergency cardiac care for acute coronary syndrome, cardiac arrhythmias and syncopes
• Other medical services