Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Hernia Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Thoracic Surgery - Martha-Maria Hospital Munich

About the Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Hernia Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Thoracic Surgery at Martha-Maria Hospital Munich

The Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Hernia Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Thoracic Surgery at the Martha-Maria Hospital Munich offers the full range of top-class surgical treatment in accordance with current clinical protocols. The department's specialists focus on patients with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs and respiratory tract, as well as endocrine diseases. The department also performs surgery for inguinal hernias. The operating rooms of the medical facility have state-of-the-art equipment, including those adapted for sparing laparoscopic interventions. The department's surgeons prefer minimally invasive surgical techniques, since recovery after such operations is many times faster than after classical open interventions. The department's surgical team regularly demonstrates high treatment success rates. At the same time, the medical facility holds a leading position in the field of endocrine surgery at the European and international levels. The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Roland Ladurner.

The department is a recognized Center for Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery, which performs more than 2,000 surgical interventions on the thyroid gland and about 300 operations on the parathyroid glands every year. Over the years of clinical practice, the department has performed more than 29,000 thyroid surgeries and about 3,000 parathyroid interventions. Not every medical facility in Europe has such experience in the field of endocrine surgery, which contributes to the high reputability of the department at the international level.

It is worth noting that the department is the only medical facility in Bavaria that specializes in ultrasound therapy for benign thyroid neoplasms. This type of therapy is a new and especially sparing alternative technique for the treatment of thyroid tumors. The essence of the procedure is the use of therapeutic ultrasound, which works on the principle of a magnifying glass – the ultrasound rays are focused at a single point, which leads to local heating of tissues in the target site (up to about 85°C), and destruction of pathological foci. At the same time, healthy tissues are not affected. The procedure is completely painless. The ultrasound therapy is suitable for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and can also serve as an alternative to radioiodine therapy.

The department's competence also includes surgical interventions on gastrointestinal organs, emergency surgery and emergency care for injuries. With appropriate clinical indications, operations are performed using minimally invasive techniques. The department's surgeons also have all the technical resources and the necessary qualifications for performing open surgical interventions. Thus, an individual treatment is selected for each patient, taking into account the particular clinical case. Along with optimal surgical treatment, the safety of patients and the prevention of complications are a key task of a competent team of doctors.

In the field of hernia repair surgery, special attention is paid to the treatment of inguinal hernias. Pathology is a protrusion of tissues and organs of the abdominal cavity beyond its limits, into the inguinal area. Depending on the stage of the disease, the department's surgeons perform open or minimally invasive surgical interventions. In the first case, the specialists resort to plastic surgery of the inguinal canal using the Shouldice or Lichtenstein technique. With appropriate clinical indications, sparing laparoscopic operations are performed.

An equally important area of ​​specialization of the medical facility is thoracic surgery. The department regularly performs surgical interventions on the lungs and other thoracic organs. Particular attention is paid to the surgical treatment of thoracic cancers. A huge advantage for patients is the performance of minimally invasive interventions on the lungs (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery), which provide a quick recovery of the patient, minimize blood loss, and also reduce the risk of postoperative complications. For example, minimally invasive operations are performed for recurrent pleurisy, spontaneous pneumothorax, and inflammatory lung and pleural diseases.

The department's range of surgical services includes:

• General and abdominal surgery
  • Surgical treatment of esophageal pathologies (for example, in Zenker's diverticulum)
  • Surgical treatment of diaphragm pathologies (for example, in hiatal hernia)
  • Surgical treatment of stomach pathologies (for example, in ulcers, malignant tumors)
  • Surgical treatment of small intestine pathologies (for example, in Meckel's diverticulum)
  • Surgical treatment of colon pathologies (for example, in diverticulosis, polyps, malignant tumors)
  • Surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)
  • Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures on gastrointestinal organs
• Surgical treatment of hernias
  • Surgery for inguinal hernias: Shouldice technique for inguinal canal repair, Lichtenstein technique and laparoscopic operation
• Endocrine surgery
  • Surgical treatment of thyroid pathologies, including thyroid cancer
  • Surgical treatment of parathyroid pathologies
  • Ultrasound therapy for the treatment of benign thyroid neoplasms (as an alternative to surgical treatment)
• Thoracic surgery
  • Surgical treatment of lung cancer and lung metastases, as well as malignant tumors of the mediastinum, thoracic wall and pleura
  • Surgical treatment of mediastinal diseases (for example, thymomas, lymphomas, germ cell tumors)
  • Surgical treatment of chest wall tumors
  • Palliative interventions (for example, pleurodesis, permanent pleural drainage)
  • Surgical treatment of infectious lesions of the respiratory system (for example, pleural empyema, lung abscess, bacterial lung tissue destruction)
  • Surgical treatment of benign diseases of the lungs, mediastinum, and thoracic wall (for example, hamartomas, bronchiectasis, cysts, lung sequestration)
  • Surgical treatment of thoracic injuries (for example, hemothorax, rib fractures and their complications)
  • Surgical treatment of pneumothorax
  • Surgical treatment of hyperhidrosis
  • Surgical treatment of tracheal diseases (for example, tumors, stenosis)
  • Lung volume reduction surgery as a palliative surgical care for patients with advanced pulmonary emphysema
• Minimally invasive surgery
  • Laparoscopic interventions on the thyroid and parathyroid glands
  • Laparoscopic interventions on the adrenal glands
  • Laparoscopic interventions on the gallbladder
  • Laparoscopic interventions on the caecum
  • Laparoscopic interventions for inguinal hernias
  • Laparoscopic removal of adhesions in the abdominal cavity and laparoscopic interventions on the intestines
  • Minimally invasive thoracic surgery (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery)
• Other surgical options