Department of Adult and Pediatric Trauma Surgery - Hannover Medical School (MHH)

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Trauma Surgery at Hannover Medical School (MHH)

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Trauma Surgery at the Hannover Medical School offers the full range of high-quality medical services in this ​​medical field. The department's specialization includes medical care to injured with minor traumas, polytrauma and severe injuries, sports injuries, as well as corrective operations. Adults and children can receive medical care here. The department is one of the few in Germany where the patient can undergo the BioGelenk procedure – restoration of a joint in case of its degenerative or traumatic lesions using reconstruction with biological tissues. In addition, the department's doctors have over 15 years of experience in the field of exoprosthetics. The treatment of severe clinical cases and the elimination of complications of any injuries is also within the scope of tasks of traumatologists of the medical facility. The treatment of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors is of particular interest. The clinical practice of the department's doctors is based on an individual approach to each patient, due to which they develop the most effective treatment regimens adapted to the particular needs and wishes of the patient. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Christian Krettek. He is a highly qualified trauma surgeon with long clinical experience and many successful treatment results. 

The team of the department's doctors always strives to introduce innovations and modern therapeutic techniques. The BioGelenk procedure is one of such progressive treatment methods. During the operation, grafts from natural bone and cartilage tissues (so-called allografts) are placed in the affected joint. The replacement of the menisci with biological tissues is also often carried out. This treatment method is an excellent alternative to endoprosthetics (implantation of an artificial joint prosthesis). It allows the patient to eliminate pain, improve mobility, and in some cases completely eliminate the need for replacement surgery in the long term.

The department often admits the patients with spinal injuries. After the comprehensive diagnosеiсs, which usually includes computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging, either conservative or surgical treatment is prescribed to the patient depending on the severity of the injury. The first-line therapy is conservative, but traumatologists often have to resort to surgery. Most surgeries for spinal injuries are performed using minimally invasive techniques (for example, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, etc.). The department also successfully uses computer-assisted surgery (CAS). Such operations involve the use of navigation systems to ensure the pinpoint accuracy of each surgical manipulation. Computer-assisted surgery is actively used in intervertebral disc replacement.

The traumatologists of the medical facility successfully cope with both conservative and surgical treatment of knee, hip, shoulder and elbow injuries, as well as foot and ankle injuries. Sparing arthroscopic techniques are usually used for surgical treatment, which guarantee a quick patient recovery and an excellent therapeutic effect.

In cooperation with oncologists and orthopedists, the department also provides the treatment of spinal tumors and metastases. In addition, the department's specialists admit patients with bone and soft tissue tumors, including sarcomas and bone metastases. Such oncological diseases have been treated in the department since 1979. When the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient's clinical case is considered at an interdisciplinary tumor board with the participation of oncologists, radiologists, orthopedists, radiation therapists and specialists in the field of nuclear medicine. As a rule, the treatment is based on surgical resection of the tumor complemented by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other treatment methods.

The department’s range of medical services includes:

• BioGelenk procedure (biological joint placement surgery) that can used for:
  • Severe degenerative changes in the joint
  • Severe knee pain and pinching sensation
  • Severe movement limitations
  • Constant edema and joint pain
  • Joint instability
• Hand surgery
  • Treatment of hand injuries
  • Treatment of complications of injuries (deformities, growth anomalies in children after accidents, pseudoarthrosis, functional disorders due to scars, limited joint mobility)
  • Treatment of arthrosis (of the hand, saddle joint (rhizarthrosis), finger joints (Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes))
  • Treatment of pain in the joints of the fingers, hand, elbows (denervation) in severe degenerative changes in the joints of the fingers and hand, tennis elbow, golfer elbow
  • Correction of hand deformities due to rheumatic diseases (restoration/improvement of the hand function with corrective interventions on soft and bone tissues, finger joints, tendon restoration)
  • Wrist arthroscopy (cartilage resurfacing, synovectomy, free joint body removal, etc.)
  • Treatment of Dupuytren's contracture
  • Treatment of resistant tenosynovitis (trigger fingers, rheumatic diseases)
  • Hand function restoration in paralysis caused by trauma, stroke or neurological disorders
  • Treatment of neuralgia and pain syndromes due to nerve compression (for example, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome)
  • Treatment of congenital malformations
• Foot surgery
  • Treatment of foot injuries
  • Treatment of complications of injuries (deformities, pseudoarthrosis, functional disorders due to scars, limited joint mobility) 
  • Treatment of osteoarthritis of the upper part of the ankle, tarsus, toe joints 
  • Correction of congenital and acquired defects of the upper part of the ankle, tarsus, toes (for example, flat feet, Hallux valgus, claw toes)
  • Corrective surgery for lower limb paralysis (to maintain and restore walking)
  • Correction of foot deformities due to rheumatic diseases
  • Ankle arthroscopy (cartilage resurfacing, synovectomy, removal of osteophytes, free joint body removal, arthrodesis)
  • Tendon surgery (pain in the Achilles tendon, restoration of the foot lifting)
  • Treatment of resistant tenosynovitis
  • Treatment of pain syndromes due to nerve ending compression (for example, tarsal tunnel syndrome)
  • Treatment of foot tumors
  • Treatment of diabetic foot
  • Treatment of inflammatory foot diseases
  • Ankle replacement surgery
  • Correction of congenital malformations
• Surgical treatment of rheumatic diseases
  • Shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle arthroscopy
  • Open joint preservation surgery
  • Restoration of tendons and ligaments affected by rheumatic diseases
  • Stabilizing operations in joint instability
  • Endoprosthetic replacement of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, finger joints and ankle in case of rheumatic lesions
  • Lower limb curvature correction (X-shaped and O-shaped curvature of the legs)
  • Removal of inflamed synovium, tendon sheath, synovial sac and rheumatic nodes
  • Correction of wrist and finger joint deformities caused by rheumatic diseases (for example, swan neck and boutonniere deformities of II-V fingers)
  • Correction of foot deformities caused by rheumatic diseases (pes planovalgus deformity, transverse flat feet, hallux valgus, etc.)
  • Neurolysis and transposition of the compressed nerve endings (for example, in carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital canal syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome)
  • Elimination of pain in the joints of the fingers, wrist and elbow (denervation), for example, in tennis, golfer elbow, arthrosis
  • Treatment of injuries and their complications in rheumatic diseases
• Shoulder and elbow surgery
  • Treatment of shoulder dislocation and instability
  • Treatment of rotator cuff tear 
  • Treatment of tendon diseases of the biceps 
  • Treatment of shoulder calcific tendonitis
  • Treatment of frozen shoulder
  • Treatment of acromioclavicular joint injuries
  • Treatment of acromioclavicular joint arthrosis
  • Treatment of shoulder arthrosis
  • Treatment of humeral head fracture
  • Treatment of clavicle fractures
• Knee surgery and sports traumatology
  • Arthroscopy
  • Joint preservation surgery (for example, cruciate ligament replacement, cartilage transplantation, femur axis correction)
  • Implantation of artificial joints
  • Revision interventions
• Hip surgery (joint replacement surgery)
  • Primary hip replacement surgery
  • Revision interventions
  • Joint preservation surgery
  • Conservative treatment methods (for example, drug therapy, local injections of anesthetics, corticosteroids, orthopedic aids)
• Spinal surgery
  • Minimally invasive treatment methods
  • Computer-assisted surgery using navigation systems
• Musculoskeletal cancer surgery 
  • Internal focal resection (partial removal of the tumor from the inside)
  • Marginal resection (removal of the tumor without its opening, but in the immediate vicinity of the tumor pseudocapsule)
  • Extensive resection (complete surgical removal of the tumor and pseudocapsule)
  • Radical resection (complete removal of the tumor and affected tissues)
• Reconstructive interventions on the musculoskeletal system (after cancer surgery)
  • Biological reconstructive techniques (transplantation of the patient's own bone tissue, donor bone tissue, bone transposition)
  • Non-biological (alloplastic) reconstructive techniques (implantation of a prosthesis at the site of tumor removal)
• Reconstructive limb surgery
• Exoprosthetics after amputation
• Treatment of bone fractures and other traumatic injuries in children
• Other medical services