Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology - Hannover Medical School (MHH)

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology at Hannover Medical School (MHH)

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Andrology at the Hannover Medical School offers the full range of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic services for men and women with urinary system diseases, as well as men with pathologies of the genital organs. The department also admits young patients with urological diseases. Particular attention is paid to the treatment of cancers: prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer and testicular cancer. Each type of oncology is treated within a specialized center. To develop optimal individual treatment programs, the department regularly holds interdisciplinary tumor boards with the participation of doctors from related medical fields, including oncologists, radiologists, radiation therapists, chemotherapists, etc. The department actively uses the very latest surgical techniques, including robot-assisted surgery (Da Vinci Xi Surgical System). The department's urologists have an excellent reputation not only in Germany, but throughout Europe, so patients can count on top-class medical care based on the high professionalism of doctors and the use of the very latest therapeutic techniques. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Markus Kuczyk.

Prostate cancer treatment is of particular interest to the team of the department's doctors. Since 2017, the medical facility has been certified as the Prostate Cancer Center by the German Cancer Society. The key to a successful treatment outcome is high-quality diagnostics, and therefore urologists have many effective diagnostic techniques in their arsenal. The first stage of the examination involves a PSA blood test, digital rectal examination and transrectal prostate ultrasound examination. Should suspicious changes be detected, the patient will undergo prostate biopsy (MRI- or ultrasound-guided). If a biopsy confirms the presence of an oncological process in the prostate gland, the department's doctors in collaboration with specialists from related medical fields develop the most effective treatment regimen. The department's possibilities in the field of prostate cancer therapy are very diverse – from drug treatment, local therapy (cryotherapy, transurethral ultrasound ablation, laser therapy) to da Vinci robot-assisted surgery. Defeating cancer usually requires a combination of several treatment methods. The department's specialists select the required complex of therapeutic measures depending on the particular clinical case, stage of the disease, patient's age and other important factors.

Since 2018, the medical facility has been performing laparoscopic operations using the da Vinci Xi Surgical System – the most progressive in modern medicine. The department's surgeons specialize in operations on the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy, adenoma removal), kidneys (nephrectomy, kidney resection, pyeloplasty, kidney cyst removal), bladder (colposacropexy, cystectomy) and ureters. Such operations are well tolerated, but at the same time they are not inferior to classical open surgery in terms of their efficiency. Robotic interventions are characterized by the following advantages: minimal blood loss and infection risks, rapid healing of surgical wounds, minor pain syndrome, good aesthetic results (scars are almost invisible).

A fairly common urological disease in men is benign prostatic hyperplasia. If timely detected, patients can avoid surgery and have only drug therapy. In severe cases, the intake of drugs is ineffective, so more radical therapeutic measures are used. Depending on the individual clinical indications, the department's doctors can perform aqua-ablation (Aquabeam®), transurethral anatomical prostate enucleation using the Tm:YAG laser, holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), laser vaporization using the GreenLight laser, bipolar transurethral resection and other types of treatment.

Andrology is an integral part of the department's clinical practice. Andrologists deal with the treatment of men with infertility, hormonal disorders, erectile dysfunction, low libido, ejaculation disorders and penile curvature. The department's specialists also treat Klinefelter syndrome. As a rule, andrological problems can be eliminated with conservative treatment.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Prostate cancer treatment (within a specialized center)
  • Interdisciplinary prostate cancer consultations
  • Imaging diagnostics
  • Open prostatectomy
  • Robot-assisted prostatectomy
  • Endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy (EERP)
  • Local therapy (cryotherapy, transurethral ultrasound ablation and laser therapy)
  • Drug therapy
• Bladder cancer treatment (within a specialized center)
  • Endourologic surgery
  • Open radical and minimally invasive cystectomy
  • Robot-assisted surgery
  • Drug therapy (chemotherapy)
• Renal cell carcinoma treatment (within a specialized center)
  • Laparoscopy
  • Radiofrequency ablation
  • Open surgery (total, partial nephrectomy, etc.)
  • Robot-assisted surgery
  • Drug therapy
• Kidney stone treatment
  • Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
  • Ureterorenoscopy
  • Minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolitholapaxy
  • Laparoscopy for stone removal
  • Open interventions
  • Drug therapy
  • Treatment of kidney stones in children
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment
  • Transurethral anatomical enucleation of the prostate with Tm:YAG laser
  • Holmium laser enucleation for prostatic hyperplasia
  • Laser vaporization of the prostate with GreenLight® laser
  • Bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate
  • Minimally invasive treatment methods
• Testicular tumor treatment
  • Surgical treatment
  • Drug therapy (chemotherapy)
• Treatment of andrologic diseases
  • Treatment of infertility
  • Sterilization (vasectomy)
  • Treatment of erectile dysfunction
  • Treatment of premature ejaculation
  • Treatment of hypogonadism
  • Correction of penile curvature
  • Treatment of Klinefelter syndrome
• Bladder dysfunction treatment
• Treatment of urinary incontinence in men and women
• Other therapeutic options