Surgical or endoscopic treatment of esophageal varices in University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

About the department

The Department of General, Abdominal, Transplant, Hepatopancreatobiliary, Colorectal, Endocrine, Bariatric Surgery and Hernia Surgery at the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich provides the full range of services in the areas of its specialization and holds a leading position at the national and international levels in terms of the number of surgical interventions performed and their success. Of particular interest are operations for treating diseases of the bowel, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts, and endocrine glands. The department's doctors have excellent skills in the surgical treatment of cancer, surgery for liver, kidney, pancreas, and small intestine transplants, and operations for morbid obesity. The department's operating rooms are the pride of the medical facility, since they have all the necessary technical options for performing operations with the da Vinci surgical system, image-guided interventions, and endoscopic surgical procedures, which are characterized by minimal trauma rates. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Jens Werner.

One of the most important focuses of the department's work is surgery for stomach and esophageal diseases such as polyps, gastroesophageal reflux disease, esophageal diverticulum, stomach and esophageal cancers, gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, and sarcomas. In most cases, the department's surgeons manage to perform the intervention using minimally invasive techniques without extensive skin and soft tissue incisions. When dealing with cancer treatment, doctors complement a surgical intervention with conservative treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, etc. It is worth noting that doctors also offer patients an innovative type of treatment, which is surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The technique is indicated for patients with cancer spread in the abdominal cavity and metastases in the peritoneum.

The department's surgical team often admits patients with various colon diseases. The most common of these include colon polyps, colon cancer, diverticular disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), and rectal pathology. Almost all interventions for the above-mentioned diseases are performed laparoscopically. In cases with appropriate clinical indications, robot-assisted surgical techniques can also be used. The department has the status of a Center of Excellence for Colorectal Surgery certified by the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV) and the German Cancer Society (DKG). Patients can be confident that they are entrusting their health to highly qualified professionals who will provide the best possible outcome. 

In the field of hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, the department performs highly effective operations for liver, gallbladder, and bile duct diseases. Particular attention is paid to the medical care for patients with liver, gallbladder, and bile duct cancers, liver metastases, liver adenomas, gallstones (cholecystolithiasis) and gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis), and bile duct stenosis. In most cases, the department's surgeons successfully perform low-traumatic laparoscopic interventions. However, they also have vast experience in complex and extensive resections, which are often combined with organ transplants, such as liver or pancreas transplants.

The department offers modern surgical options for endocrine disorders: pathologies of the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, and adrenal glands. The department's endocrine surgeons perform resections of benign and malignant neoplasms. The resection or removal of the endocrine organ affected by the pathological process can be performed whenever required. The department's endocrine surgeons practically do not perform open surgery and prefer sparing laparoscopic techniques that require only a few small skin incisions. Thanks to the use of minimally invasive techniques, the period of a hospital stay is significantly reduced, the pain syndrome is mild, and the risk of postoperative complications is negligible. The department's specialists closely cooperate with doctors from the Departments of Endocrinology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiology. Colleagues regularly meet at interdisciplinary boards to consider clinical cases and develop an optimal treatment regimen. It is worth noting that for more than 20 years the department has been one of the leading medical facilities in Germany specializing in the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors.

The department's surgical options are complemented by morbid obesity treatment. Today, excess weight is becoming an increasingly urgent problem, usually arising from an unbalanced diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Obesity is not only an aesthetic problem, as this condition can also cause severe pathological changes. For example, obese patients have a high risk of developing diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, oncology, etc. The initial measure to combat excess weight is lifestyle modification: diet and intense physical activity. However, these methods often do not give the desired result for morbid obesity, and in this case, bariatric surgeons come to the rescue. The department's team of doctors offers patients modern and highly effective surgical interventions for weight loss such as gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic shunting. The department's patients receive comprehensive treatment, which includes surgery, the elaboration of an individual diet, the selection of the optimal workouts, and psychological care. The department's surgeons perform all bariatric interventions using minimally invasive techniques, which is a great advantage for patients.

The department's main clinical activities are as follows:

• General and abdominal surgery
  • Appendix removal surgery (appendectomy)
  • Spleen removal surgery (splenectomy)
  • Surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease
  • Surgery for esophageal diverticulum
  • Surgery for esophageal dysfunction
  • Surgery for acute and chronic pancreatitis
  • Surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis
  • Surgery for esophageal and stomach malignancy resection
  • Surgery for gastrointestinal stromal tumor resection
  • Surgery for neuroendocrine tumor resection
  • Surgery for malignant pancreatic tumor resection
  • Surgery for retroperitoneal space malignancy resection
  • Surgery for metastasis and recurrent solid tumor resection
• Hernia repair surgery
  • Inguinal hernias
    • Shouldice technique
    • Liechtenstein operation
    • Rutkov technique
  • Incisional hernias
    • Laparoscopic surgery with Gore Tex Netz intraperitoneal mesh
  • Femoral hernias
    • Laparoscopic TAPP hernioplasty (transabdominal preperitoneal repair)
  • Umbilical hernias
    • Hernia resection with mesh overlay (for large hernias)
• Transplant surgery
  • Kidney transplant
  • Liver transplant
  • Pancreas transplant
  • Small intestine transplant
• Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery
  • Surgery for liver cancer: liver resection and total removal followed by transplant surgery
  • Surgery for liver metastases
  • Surgery for cholangiocellular carcinoma
  • Surgery for Klatskin tumor (trisectionectomy)
  • Surgery for gallbladder cancer (tumor removal and resection of the bile ducts and part of the liver at the advanced stages)
  • Surgery for benign liver tumors
  • Surgery for echinococcosis
  • Surgery for non-calculous and calculous cholecystitis (laparoscopic gallbladder removal)
• Colorectal surgery
  • Surgery for colon cancer
  • Surgery for chronic inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • Surgery for diverticulitis
  • Surgery for fecal incontinence
  • Surgery for hemorrhoids and anal fistulas
  • Surgery for short bowel syndrome
• Endocrine surgery
  • Surgery for thyroid diseases (most often benign and malignant tumors)
  • Surgery for parathyroid pathologies (most often benign and malignant tumors)
  • Surgery for adrenal diseases (most often benign and malignant tumors)
• Bariatric surgery
  • Gastric banding
  • Sleeve gastrectomy
  • Biliopancreatic shunting
• Other surgical options