Department of Rheumatology - Park-Clinic Weissensee Berlin

About the Department of Rheumatology at Park-Clinic Weissensee Berlin

The Department of Rheumatology at the Park-Clinic Weissensee Berlin offers all the options of modern medicine for detecting and treating various rheumatic diseases. Particular attention is paid to counseling patients with rheumatic pathologies, including pregnant women. The department's doctors specialize in the treatment of inflammatory lesions of large and small joints, the spine, and inflammatory processes in the blood vessels, muscles, internal organs, and soft tissues. The treatment is carried out on an inpatient basis, in a day hospital, or on an outpatient basis. The department's doctors have a specialized laboratory, as well as all the necessary methods of diagnostic imaging, including ultrasound, X-ray, and computed tomography. The department's infrastructure is complemented by a Physiotherapy Unit with a top-class therapeutic pool. The department's rheumatologists prefer a multimodal concept of treatment, combining several therapeutic methods at once. The department also provides emergency medical care to patients with rheumatic diseases. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Marina Backhaus.

The most common diagnoses in the department's clinical practice include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, Raynaud's disease, systemic scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic vasculitis, and many others. The department's doctors regularly deal with complex clinical cases in their work, and therefore they have a rich and unique experience. It is important for the specialists to provide effective treatment that will allow a patient to get rid of pain and lead a normal life.

The therapeutic process begins with comprehensive diagnostics, based on the results of which an individual treatment plan is developed. Doctors study a patient's medical history in detail and carry out a clinical examination. The patient then undergoes a series of laboratory tests, ultrasound scans, X-ray, capillary microscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, bone density measurement (DXA), fluorescence optical imaging of the upper limbs using the Xiralite system, joint puncture, etc. Diagnostic tests for each patient are prescribed individually based on their particular complaints and medical history.

In most cases, the department's team of doctors admit patients with complex and advanced forms of rheumatism, causing severe mobility restrictions and severe pain. The specialists offer a multimodal treatment concept, covering a particular set of therapeutic measures. The integral components of treatment include drug therapy, intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management, and diet therapy. Patients are also provided with competent psychological care. All these measures make it possible to effectively deal with rheumatic diseases, enabling the patient to live a full life.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics
  • Ultrasound scans of the joints, blood vessels, soft tissues of the neck, thyroid gland, salivary glands, and organs of the abdominal cavity
  • Classic X-ray diagnostics
  • Computed tomography
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Bone density measurement (DXA)
  • Capillary microscopy
  • Cardiovascular examinations: echocardiography, stress echocardiography, 24-hour ECG monitoring and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, ergometry, and cardiac catheterization
  • Endoscopic examinations (in the case of damage to the internal organs caused by rheumatic diseases): gastroscopy, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, rectoscopy, capsule endoscopy, and bronchoscopy
  • Pulmonary function tests 
• Treatment
  • Drug therapy with the widest range of the latest drugs
  • Pain management
  • Physical therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Ergotherapy
  • Diet therapy
  • Psychological care
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic options