Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Pulmonology - Hospital Kassel

About the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Pulmonology at Hospital Kassel

The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Pulmonology at the Hospital Kassel offers the full range of modern medical services for patients with diseases of the respiratory tract, lungs, pleura, including allergic and malignant diseases, as well as extrapulmonary diseases affecting the lungs. The department's specialists are proud of their successful experience in the treatment of lung and pleural cancer, obstructive airway diseases, infectious diseases of the lungs and pleura, pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, the department’s competence includes obstructive sleep apnea screening using polygraphy. The department also provides emergency care for patients with breathing disorders and life-threatening respiratory diseases. The team of the department's pulmonologists applies all their professionalism and rich clinical experience to provide their patients with the high-quality medical care of the European standard. The Chief Physician of the department is Dr. med. Sigrid Verlaan.

The department has advanced equipment for effective diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy, which plays an important role in detecting many diseases of the respiratory tract, eliminating obstructive processes and internal bleeding in the respiratory tract. In addition to high-quality drug therapy for various diseases of the respiratory tract and lungs, the department's specialists carry out long-term oxygen therapy and non-invasive ventilation. Such treatment methods are most often required for patients with respiratory distress. Once the patient's condition has been normalized, he may be additionally appointed home mechanical ventilation.

The department quite often admits patients with lung cancer. This disease is one of the most complex, while its treatment requires a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach. Each patient with lung cancer is provided with an individual treatment regimen developed at the tumor boards with the participation of not only pulmonologists, but also oncologists, chemotherapists, radiation therapists, radiologists, thoracic surgeons, etc. When developing treatment tactics, the decisive factors are the type of tumor and its stage, the presence of metastases, the age of the patient and his general state of health. Depending on the particular clinical indications, the treatment may involve such techniques as surgical resection of the tumor (in collaboration with thoracic surgeons), chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and others.

The department specializes in the treatment of the following diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract:

• Oncological diseases
  • Lung cancer
  • Pleural cancer
• Obstructive airway diseases
  • Bronchial asthma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Infectious diseases of the lungs and pleura
• Interstitial lung disease (focus on lung fibrosis treatment)
• Lung diseases causing respiratory distress and emergency conditions
• Other pulmonary diseases

The range of the department's diagnostic and therapeutic services includes:

• Diagnostics, including interventional procedures
  • Pulmonary function testing (for example, plethysmography, assessment of the diffusion capacity of the lungs, spiroergometry)
  • Chest ultrasound scanning
  • Bronchoscopy for diagnostic purposes
  • Obstructive sleep apnea screening using polygraphy
  • Biopsy for suspected lung cancer, pleural cancer
  • Pleural puncture for diagnostic purposes
• Treatment, including interventional procedures
  • Drug therapy using the very latest drugs
  • Long-term oxygen therapy
  • Non-invasive ventilation
  • Home mechanical ventilation
  • Intensive care in critical conditions
  • Interventional therapeutic procedures
    • Treatment of airway obstruction 
    • Treatment of pulmonary bleeding
    • Pleural puncture for therapeutic purposes in the case of pleural effusion
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic options