Department of Hernia Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Endocrine Surgery and Neurosurgery - Eilenriede Clinic Hannover

The Department of Hernia Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Endocrine Surgery and Neurosurgery at the Eilenriede Clinic Hannover provides the full range of modern surgical interventions in the areas of its specialization. The team of the department's doctors successfully performs surgical interventions for inguinal and umbilical hernia repair, surgical procedures for thyroid pathologies, interventions on the central and peripheral nervous system, as well as joint preservation surgery, knee, hip and shoulder arthroplasty. Many surgical interventions are performed on an outpatient basis, which eliminates the need for hospitalization. The pride of the department is its modern operating rooms with state-of-the-art equipment. Advanced surgical equipment allows performing a large number of interventions using sparing minimally invasive surgical techniques, which have several advantages over classical open surgery. Special attention should be paid to the professionalism of the department's doctors, who make every effort to provide the patient with high quality treatment and the best therapeutic result.

The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Lobenhoffer. According to the Focus magazine, the specialist has been ranked among the top German doctors specializing in knee surgery for 10 years. The professor can boast of more than 20,000 successfully performed surgical interventions.

The department admits a large number of patients with inguinal and umbilical hernias. An inguinal hernia is characterized by a protrusion of internal organs outside the abdominal cavity through an enlarged inguinal canal, while an umbilical hernia is a protrusion of internal organs through the anterior abdominal wall, namely through an expanded umbilical ring. The diagnostic protocol for patients with suspected abdominal hernia includes clinical examination, analysis of the medical history and instrumental tests: herniography, ultrasound scanning, CT scanning and others. The only effective treatment for inguinal and umbilical hernias is surgery. Conservative therapy is used only as an adjunct treatment to improve the patient's general health condition and relieve pain after surgery. The department's doctors prefer minimally invasive surgical techniques, but if necessary, they also resort to open surgery. Hernioplasty (surgical procedure for hernia repair) is most often elective surgery, so the attending physician determines the optimal type of intervention, based on the results of the preliminary diagnostic examination. The department's specialists always strive to carry out a laparoscopic procedure, which involves abdominal wall plastic repair using miniature instruments inserted through several punctures in the affected area. In most cases, umbilical and inguinal hernia repair surgery involves the placement of a special mesh, which strengthens the abdominal wall and prevents the recurrence of the pathology, but in the case of the umbilical hernia, it is also possible to perform tension hernioplasty using the patient's own tissues. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia. The patient can leave the hospital and return to daily life within a few days after the surgical treatment.

The department's team of orthopedic surgeons consists of four highly qualified specialists with long experience in the surgical treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. The doctors are ​​competent in arthroscopic interventions, cartilage and ligament reconstruction surgery, soft tissue surgery and corrective osteotomy. Particular focus is on partial and total knee, hip and shoulder arthroplasty. These interventions are often the only effective treatment for degenerative joint diseases or joint traumatic injuries. At the stage of preparation for treatment, the doctor accurately plans the operation and selects the optimal type of endoprosthesis in accordance with the patient's anatomical features. Whenever required, endoprosthesis is custom-made. A decisive advantage for the department's patients is the fact that almost all joint replacement surgeries are performed using minimally invasive techniques. To achieve high accuracy in positioning the artificial joint during operations, computer-assisted navigation is used. After surgery, doctors carry out follow-up examinations and prescribe physiotherapy rehabilitation procedures for the quickest possible mobilization of the patient.

Another important area of ​​work of the department's team of doctors is the surgical treatment of thyroid diseases. This type of endocrine surgery is most often required for patients with nodular goiter, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid cancer. Thanks to the availability of modern medical equipment, interventions for thyroid diseases are performed using minimally traumatic techniques: the surgeon makes a 1,5-2 cm skin incision in the neck, through which inserts special surgical instruments and a camera that transmits images of the surgical field to the screen in multiple zoom. In some cases, a transoral approach is also used for thyroid removal or resection, which completely excludes skin incisions. When performing thyroid surgery, doctors use modern intraoperative neuromonitoring systems that allow them to maintain the integrity of the recurrent laryngeal nerves and vocal cords, which helps to reduce surgical risks.

The department also offers the services of a team of neurosurgeons who carry out diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases of the nervous system: pathologies of the brain, skull base, spine, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The department's specialization in neurosurgery includes microsurgical and minimally invasive operations on the nervous system, as well as CT-guided periradicular therapy for chronic back pain. Special attention is paid to spinal surgery (surgical treatment of spinal disc herniation and spinal stenosis), brain surgery for benign and malignant neoplasms, cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations and other brain pathologies, as well as interventions for peripheral nerve compression. During neurosurgical interventions, the department's doctors use neuronavigation systems and devices for intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring, which ensure high safety of the surgical treatment. Prior to the surgical intervention on the brain, doctors usually plan the upcoming operation with the use of computed tomography, which avoids damage to vital anatomical structures of the brain.

The department's main clinical focuses include:

• Hernia repair surgery
  • Inguinal hernia repair surgery
  • Umbilical hernia repair surgery
• Orthopedic surgery
  • Partial and total knee, hip and shoulder arthroplasty
  • Arthroscopic interventions
  • Cartilage tissue and ligament reconstruction surgery
  • Corrective osteotomy
• Endocrine surgery
  • Surgical treatment of thyroid disorders: nodular goiter, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid cancer
• Neurosurgery
  • Brain surgery for benign and malignant neoplasms, cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations
  • Minimally invasive interventions on the spine – treatment of spinal disc herniation and spinal stenosis
  • CT-guided periradicular therapy for chronic back pain
  • Surgery for peripheral nerve compression
• Other medical services