Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology - Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen-Steele

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology at Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen-Steele

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology at the Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen-Steele carries out high-precision diagnostics and effective treatment of the entire spectrum of diseases of the urinary system in men and women, as well as pathologies of the reproductive system in men. Men with erectile dysfunction, infertility and other andrological disorders can also undergo treatment here. The specialists in pediatric urology deal with the surgical treatment of phimosis and cryptorchidism, as well as with conservative therapy for urinary incontinence in children. The key focus of the team of doctors is on the treatment of kidney, adrenal, bladder, urethral, ureteral, prostate, testicular and penile malignancies. The department enjoys the status of the Reference Center on da Vinci Robotic Surgery, and its specialists successfully apply this innovative type of surgical treatment. The department is also certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG) as the Prostate Cancer Center, which indicates the high quality and effectiveness of treatment of the most common urologic cancer in men. Each department's patient is provided with individual medical care. With appropriate clinical indications, urologists of the medical facility prefer conservative therapy and/or low traumatic surgical interventions, while open surgery rarely becomes an option of choice.

The department is headed by Dr. med. Stephan Buse. The specialist was one of the first doctors in Germany who began performing robot-assisted interventions using the da Vinci surgical system in 2005. The surgeon has already performed more than 4,500 robot-assisted interventions for urologic diseases and is considered one of the best experts in this field in the whole of Germany.

The department boasts a unique and rich experience in the treatment of malignant diseases of the urinary system and reproductive system in men. The most common diagnosis in the department's clinical practice is prostate cancer. The patient with this oncopathology requires comprehensive therapy, which is based on the resection of a malignant tumor with a prostate capsule, seminal vesicles and adjacent lymph nodes. These surgical procedures are usually performed in the department using the innovative da Vinci surgical system, with minimally invasive techniques. The comprehensive treatment of prostate cancer often includes radiation therapy. As a rule, the treatment regimen includes chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Since prostate cancer progresses very slowly, some patients with the early stages of cancer are recommended "active surveillance" tactics.

The ​ medical facility is also competent in the treatment of kidney, bladder, testicular and penile cancer. To achieve a successful treatment outcome in the above mentioned malignant diseases, the department's specialists perform sparing surgical interventions, including robot-assisted ones, to resect a tumor, and sometimes part of an organ (resection of a part of a kidney) or an entire organ (resection of a bladder). Surgery is complemented by chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other treatments. The treatment regimen is developed for each patient on an individual basis by an interdisciplinary team of doctors, including urologists, oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists and others. Psychological care is provided, if required.

The department's therapeutic offer also includes the treatment of benign urologic diseases. The department has all the modern resources for the effective treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Such advanced techniques as GreenLight, thulium laser therapy and Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy are successfully applied here. In more complex clinical cases, a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is recommended for a patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Open surgery is a last-line therapy. The medical facility also provides effective treatment for such benign pathologies as kidney stone disease and urinary incontinence.

The department also admits young patients suffering from genitourinary diseases. The service range includes circumcision for the treatment of phimosis (narrowing of the foreskin of the penis), surgical repair of cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and conservative therapy for urinary incontinence in children. In most cases, the treatment of pediatric urological diseases is carried out on an outpatient basis, without the need for hospitalization.

Another important field of ​​clinical activity of the department's medical team is andrology. The focus in this field is on the admission of patients suffering from erectile dysfunction, male infertility and hypogonadism (testicular failure). The department also holds consultations on contraception and vasovasostomy to restore fertility after surgical sterilization in men.

The department's main clinical focuses include:

• Diagnostics and treatment of urologic malignancies
  • Prostate cancer
    • Robot-assisted surgery with da Vinci surgical system
    • Radiation therapy
    • Chemotherapy
    • Hormone therapy
  • Kidney cancer
    • Nephrectomy (open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted surgery – depending on the size and location of the tumor)
    • Targeted therapy for metastatic kidney cancer
  • Bladder cancer
    • Endoscopic tumor resection (for superficial neoplasms)
    • Cystectomy (bladder removal) with orthotopic neobladder formation
    • Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery
  • Testicular cancer
    • Surgical tumor resection
    • Radiation therapy
    • Chemotherapy
  • Penile cancer
    • Surgical tumor resection
    • Radiation therapy
    • Chemotherapy
• Diagnostics and treatment of benign urologic diseases
  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia
    • GreenLight laser therapy
    • Thulium laser therapy
    • Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy
    • Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)
  • Kidney stone disease
    • Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
    • Ureterorenoscopy
    • Percutaneous nephrolitholapaxy
    • Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery (in complex clinical cases)
  • Urinary incontinence
    • Drug therapy
    • Therapeutic exercises for strengthening pelvic floor muscles
    • Electrical stimulation and biofeedback
    • Pessary therapy
    • Injection therapy
    • Reconstructive interventions
    • Sacrocolpopexy
    • Sling procedures (TVT, ARGUS)
    • Artificial bladder sphincter placement surgery
    • Robot-assisted interventions for urinary incontinence
• Diagnostics and treatment of urologic diseases in children
  • Conservative treatment of urinary incontinence in children
  • Circumcision for phimosis
  • Surgery for cryptorchidism (undescended testicles)
• Diagnostics and treatment of andrologic diseases
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Male infertility
  • Age-related changes in men
  • Hypogonadism
  • Vasovasostomy to restore fertility after surgical sterilization in men
• Diagnostics and treatment of other diseases