Department of Nuclear Medicine - Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin

About the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin

The Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Bundeswehr Hospital Berlin offers the full range of diagnostics and treatment using modern radioactive agents and advanced medical equipment. Diagnostic options include examinations of the thyroid gland, skeleton, heart, kidneys, lungs, brain, liver and biliary tract, as well as the detection of inflammatory foci. The specialists most often use scintigraphy, but PET/CT scanning is also available here. In the field of therapy, the primary task of the department's doctors is the treatment of thyroid diseases (radioiodine therapy). The department's doctors also conduct modern pain management for bone metastases and inflammatory joint diseases. All medical services meet the standards of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine. The department's specialists make every effort to ensure that during the diagnostics and/or treatment the patient feels as comfortable as possible and is satisfied with the result. The department is headed by Dr. med. Christian Çelebi-Hoffmann.

To assess the structure and function of various organs, the department's doctors administer special radioactive compounds (radiopharmaceuticals or radionuclides) into the human body, which are targetedly accumulated in the tissues to be examined. Scintigraphy is performed using modern gamma cameras, which record metabolic processes in various organs. PET-CT scanning is carried out in cooperation with the Charite University Hospital Berlin. It is necessary to prepare for some diagnostic procedures (for example, refuse to take certain drugs the day before the examination, refuse food and water on the day of the examination), which the attending physician tells the patient individually. Radionuclide examinations do not cause any pain or discomfort, which is a great advantage for the patient.

The department's feature is a specialized Radioimmunoassay Laboratory, which works with radioactive agents. With the help of reliable examination methods, the laboratory experts can detect certain concentrations of a substance in the blood. The examined biological material is mixed with radioactive substances, processed in accordance with the standards and re-examined (in vitro diagnostics). Particular attention in the laboratory is given to the examination of the functional activity of the thyroid gland.

As for therapy, the most popular procedure is radioiodine therapy, which allows the doctors to successfully deal with benign and malignant thyroid diseases. Radioiodine therapy is a conservative treatment method, the essence of which is the oral administration of a radioactive isotope of iodine (I-131) in the form of gelatin capsules or a colorless and tasteless solution. The dosage of the drug is determined by the attending physician individually, depending on the type of thyroid pathology, the presence or absence of metastases in oncology and other factors. Getting inside the thyroid gland cells, radioactive iodine irradiates them, and the cells cease to perform their functions in the synthesis of hormones, which is the therapeutic effect. Radioiodine therapy is an absolutely safe treatment method, it is well tolerated by patients and provides an effective result.

Radiosynoviorthesis is also a popular radionuclide therapeutic procedure. The method is used for the treatment of inflammatory joint diseases with the help of intra-articular injections of a radioactive substance under ultrasound or X-ray guidance. Radiosynoviorthesis can relieve pain or completely eliminate it, thereby improving the function of the affected joint.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostic options
  • Scintigraphy and ultrasound examinations of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands
  • Skeletal scintigraphy (specific areas and total scanning)
  • Myocardial scintigraphy
  • Kidney functional scintigraphy
  • Functional lung scintigraphy to detect circulatory and ventilation disorders
  • Scintigraphy for cerebral circulation disorders 
  • Functional biliary tract scintigraphy 
  • Functional salivary gland scintigraphy 
  • Bone marrow scintigraphy
  • Special types of scintigraphy to detect inflammatory processes in the bones and soft tissues (in particular, in the diagnostics of fever of unknown origin)
  • Lymph node scintigraphy (including sentinel lymph nodes) for skin cancer
  • Ultrasound scanning
  • Fine needle aspiration biopsy
  • Examinations within the framework of the Radioimmunoassay Laboratory
  • PET-CT (in collaboration with the Charite University Hospital Berlin)
• Therapy
  • Pain management for bone metastases
  • Pain management for chronic inflammatory changes in the knee joint (radiosynoviorthesis)
  • Radioiodine therapy for the treatment of thyroid diseases
• Other methods of diagnostics and treatment