Patent foramen ovale (PFO) diagnosis in Cardiology Clinic Nixdorff Vester Duesseldorf

About the department

The Department of Cardiology at the Cardiology Clinic Nixdorff & Vester Duesseldorf provides the full range of medical services in its area of specialization. The department admits patients with various heart diseases, with a special focus on the diagnosis and treatment of cardialgia of unknown origin, heart failure, coronary heart disease, congenital and acquired heart valve defects, arrhythmias, myocarditis, arterial hypertension, and heart damage due to diabetes mellitus and morbid obesity. The department is proud of its excellent diagnostic facilities. It has state-of-the-art equipment for electrocardiography, long-term Holter ECG monitoring, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, duplex sonography, pulmonary function testing, cardiac CT, cardiac MRI, and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. The healthcare facility also offers a comprehensive Check-up to assess your health status and identify potential risks of developing heart disease. The department's doctors also offer second opinions. Should there be any pathological changes in the functioning of the heart, the department's cardiologists will prescribe the patient an individual drug treatment regimen and give recommendations for lifestyle modification. Medical care is provided by competent cardiologists who have encountered clinical cases of varying complexity over their many years of practice.

The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Uwe Nixdorff. He is one of the best cardiologists in Germany, who conducts successful clinical practice, is engaged in research, and participates in the work of professional cardiological societies in Europe and America. Prof. Nixdorff's clinical priority is preventive cardiac examinations. He is the Founder and Director of the European Prevention Center (EPC) in Duesseldorf and Berlin, which has gained a reputation as one of the best healthcare facilities of its kind in Germany.

The department has accumulated extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. This pathology affects the pumping function of the heart, which disrupts the blood supply to tissues and organs. In the early stages, symptoms of heart failure manifest themselves only during physical activity, but they are also present at rest as the disease progresses. In the advanced stages of heart failure, other internal organs may also be affected, resulting in the development of concomitant pathologies and life-threatening conditions. Should heart failure be suspected, the department's cardiologists conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the heart, which is based on electrocardiography, echocardiography, chest X-rays, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and stress tests. Laboratory tests such as a complete blood count, urinalysis, and blood biochemistry tests are mandatory. Timely and competently selected treatment for heart failure can compensate for impaired heart function and significantly improve the patient’s quality of life. Treatment tactics depend on the form of the heart disease: acute heart failure requires emergency medical care in a hospital setting, while chronic heart failure requires a long course of maintenance drug treatment. Diet, changing physical activity levels, and giving up bad habits play an important role.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common diagnoses in cardiology. The department's doctors examine patients suspected of this disease almost every day. Coronary heart disease is a chronic pathology that develops against the background of the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries. The formation of plaques leads to a narrowing of the lumen of the affected blood vessels and disruption of the blood supply to the heart muscle. The early stages of coronary artery disease are practically asymptomatic, so the department's cardiologists attach great importance to regular preventive examinations, which allow for timely detection of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and the performance of the necessary therapeutic measures. The main manifestations of CHD include shortness of breath, heart rhythm disturbances, elevated blood pressure levels, and squeezing and pressing pain in the heart area. As ischemia worsens, there is a risk of developing acute coronary syndrome, which poses a potential threat to human life. Diagnosis for suspected coronary artery disease includes electrocardiography, echocardiography, Holter monitoring, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, stress tests, coronary angiography, blood tests, and urinalysis. The department's cardiologists provide conservative treatment for coronary artery disease, which includes regular dosed physical activity (swimming, walking, gymnastics, exercises on special fitness equipment, etc.), diet (fatty and salty foods are excluded from the diet), giving up bad habits, eliminating stressful situations as much as possible in everyday life, and drug therapy (anti-ischemic drugs, antiplatelet agents, beta blockers, calcium channel antagonists, diuretics, etc.). If conservative therapy fails, the specialists recommend coronary balloon angioplasty with stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting, depending on individual clinical indications. These procedures physically remove atherosclerotic plaque from the coronary arteries or create new blood supply pathways to the myocardium.

One of the key clinical focuses for the department’s cardiologists is also the treatment of arrhythmias, a pathological condition associated with disturbances in the rhythm, frequency, and regularity of heart contractions. Arrhythmia may affect both people of young and old age, so if you have specific complaints, you should consult a cardiologist and undergo an examination. The main manifestations of arrhythmia include a clearly felt heartbeat (rapid or slow), attacks of shortness of breath, dizziness, loss of consciousness, chest pain, and weakness. The diagnosis begins with a clinical examination, followed by electrocardiography, which is the main diagnostic method for suspected arrhythmia. For appropriate clinical indications, the cardiologist also performs long-term Holter monitoring, echocardiography, blood biochemistry tests, and urinalysis. The department's specialists prescribe treatment on an individual basis, taking into account the type of arrhythmia. As a rule, arrhythmias respond well to drug therapy, so cardiologists prescribe antiarrhythmic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, vitamin complexes, etc. The therapeutic process also includes physical therapy, diet, and quitting smoking and drinking alcohol.

The department's range of medical services includes the following:

• Diagnostic services
  • Laboratory tests: a complete blood count, urinalysis, biochemical blood tests, etc.
  • Bioelectrical impedance analysis
  • Electrocardiography, including Holter monitoring for 1-3 days
  • 24-hour blood pressure monitoring
  • Duplex sonography
  • Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography
  • Stress echocardiography
  • Pulmonary function tests
  • Cardiac computed tomography
  • Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
  • Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
  • Ergospirometry (cardiopulmonary exercise testing)
  • Heart rate variability assessment
  • Pulse-wave velocity assessment
  • Determination of advanced glycation end products using the AGE Reader®
• Therapeutic services
  • Drug therapy
  • Individual recommendations for lifestyle modifications
  • Second opinion
• Other diagnostic and treatment methods