University Hospital RWTH Aachen - Departments

The Department of Pediatric Heart Surgery at the University Hospital Aachen under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Jaime Vázquez-Jiménez has a long history in the treatment of children with congenital heart diseases. The focus of the Department includes treatment of children of all age groups with congenital heart defects as well as treatment of acquired heart defects, surgery for pacemaker installation and surgery of vessels adjacent to the heart. 

The Department of Nuclear Medicine under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. Felix M. Mottaghy offers all currently available diagnostic and therapeutic methods of nuclear medicine.  All modern therapy types of nuclear medicine are carried out in the nuclear therapy ward with 6 beds. They include radioiodine therapy for the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of thyroid, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) and radioimmunotherapy. 

The Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy offers all modern methods of conformal radiotherapy for benign and malignant diseases, which are used today. The chief physician of the Department is Prof. Dr. med. Michael J. Eble. Due to the use of the latest imaging methods during the treatment planning, the side effects can be reduced.

The Department of Vascular Surgery at the University Hospital Aachen carries out all surgical interventions for vascular diseases. The Department specializes in conventional and endovascular surgery of thoracic and abdominal aorta as well as complex treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (“window-shopping disease). The other focus of the Department of Vascular Surgery at the University Hospital Aachen is monitoring methods/ organs protection during special surgery (e.g., neuromonitoring during the operations of a carotid artery, aortic surgery), which aims to prevent complications.

The Department of Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery of Head and Neck at the University Hospital Aachen serves to consult and to diagnose and treat the diseases of head and neck. In view of this, the team of otolaryngologists under the direction of Prof. Dr. med. Martin Westhofen closely cooperates with all other specialists of the University Hospital. The otolaryngology team consists of doctors, engineers, assistants for functional researches (for example, hearing test), doctors’ assistants, secretaries and staff members assigned to different units.

The Department of Traumatology and Reconstructive Surgery at the University Hospital Aachen provides care to the patients, delivered by a jet, with the most severe injuries as well as to the patients with injuries after industrial accidents, during teaching, accidents at a leisure time, the patients with sports injuries and old people with various injuries. The chief physician of the Department is Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Frank Hildebrand. The provided surgery covers the whole spectrum of emergency traumatology and corrective surgery for complications and infections. These also include surgery for injuries of the spine, pelvis and extremities and microsurgical operations as well.

The Department of Kidney Diseases, Hypertension and Immunologic Diseases focuses on care and treatment of kidney diseases, hypertension and immunologic diseases as well as treatment of the patients with renal failure (dialysis method, kidney transplant). The chief physician of the Department is Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Floege. All together 23 doctors work in the Medical Department II. As for scientific activity, the Medical Department II deals with nephrology and immunology.

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Diagnostic, Interventional Radiology offers the full range of services in these areas. Patient care is provided both on an outpatient and inpatient basis. In clinical practice, doctors apply the very latest methods of radiological diagnosis, as well as perform a variety of imaging-guided minimally invasive interventions. For these purposes, the department is equipped with state-of-the-art digital X-ray and ultrasound systems, CT and MRI scanners.

The Department of Urology of the University Hospital Aachen deals with the treatment of all kidney and urinary tract diseases as well as the diseases of all male reproductive organs. 16 doctors and 25 nurses work in the Department of Urology. The main points of the treatment are medical and surgical treatments of urological tumors. The Department has a top position in Germany in the fields of the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.

The Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics comprises such fields as general gynecology and gynecological oncology, obstetrics and perinatal medicine. The Department occupies a top position nationwide in its specialization. The Department is focused on gynecological oncology, breast cancer and urogynecology. Together with the Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care the Department is recognized as a Level 1 Perinatal Center.

The Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery at the University Hospital Aachen is one of the biggest visceral surgery centers in North Rhine-Westphalia. The priority area is oncologic visceral surgery with a special competence in the field of liver and pancreas. The Department with 30 health professionals performs about 3,000 operations on both inpatient and outpatient basis every year.

The Department of Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Internal Intensive Medicine at the University Hospital Aachen deals with the treatment of patients with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract including liver, gallbladder and pancreas, as well as adult patients with metabolic diseases. The section for diabetology and endocrinology is recognized by the German Diabetes Society to be the center for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and the diabetic foot syndrome.

The ECCA of the University Hospital Aachen offers the patients with malignant diseases a comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment. Furthermore, the involvement of the specialists from various fields in the discussions on diagnosis, therapy, prevention and rehabilitation for the patient after the operation as well as participation in the clinical researches devoted to oncology play a key role here. The Cancer Center consists of 9 centers and modules specializing in the treatment of cancers of certain forms and organs.

The Department of Neurology offers treatment of all diseases of the neurological area for adult patients as well as a crossregional medical care for acutely ill patients. The Department of Neurology includes Intensive Care Unit and Stroke Unit for the emergency as well as the Neuropsychological Therapy Center for the patients with sequelae after stroke, particularly aphasia.

Gamma Knife has been installed since July 1998 in the University Hospital Aachen and it is operated in cooperation with the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Radiotherapy. Since then, around 1,800 patients with various diseases (statistics of 01.2008) have been treated with Gamma Knife, especially meningiomas and metastases patients.

The Department of Ophthalmology deals with the treatment of the patients with all eye diseases. They include rare diseases, such as tumors, injuries of the eye, e.g., age-related macular degeneration. The Department has a certified cornea bank, focused mainly on experimental ophthalmology and specialized in pediatric treatment. The Department provides all diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in the field of ophthalmology.

The clinical priorities of the Department of Dermatology and Allergology are allergic skin diseases such as eczema, urticaria (utricarial rash) and allergic drug reactions, occupational dermatology, wound healing, bullous skin diseases, psoriasis and as well as skin tumors, including melanomas, carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas. The focuses of the research are allergic diseases, such as contact eczema, psoriasis, photodynamic therapy and innovative dermatopharmacology.

The focuses of the Medical Department I are Cardiology, Pneumology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Medicine. In cooperation with the medical departments II and IV, there is treated the entire spectrum of internal diseases at the highest level. The special offers of the provided services are non-invasive diagnostic methods, such as 3D-echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging of the heart. The patients with heart and kidney diseases are treated in the newly established Heart-Kidney-Unit.

The Department of Oncology, Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant provides patient care on both inpatient and outpatient basis. The focuses of the inpatient treatment are acute leukemia and high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous blood stem cell transplantation. In hematology the main points are diagnosis and treatment of leukemia, lymphomas and aplastic syndromes. In the area of solid tumors the Department is known for systemic therapy against lung cancer, head and neck tumors, sarcomas etc.

Dr. Hans Clusmann has taken over the direction of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Aachen since 2010. The Department focuses on surgery for brain tumors, skull base tumors, vascular processes as well as spinal neurosurgery, minimally invasive decompression, vertebral replacement and complex corrective operations. The neurosurgical treatment of tumors is integrated into the ECCA. To reduce the side effects, operations are carried out with the up-to-date microscopes.

The focuses of the Department of Orthopedics at the University Hospital Aachen are minimally invasive and computer-assisted endoprosthetic surgery for joint replacement, complex replacement operations, orthopedics of tumors, spine surgery, sports orthopedics and pediatric orthopedics. Further clinical focuses are rheumatic orthopedics as well as shoulder and foot surgery. Children and adult patients with congenital or degenerative bone, joint and soft tissue disorders are treated in the Department.

The Department of Plastic, Hand and Burn Surgery specializes in four areas: reconstructive surgery, aesthetic surgery, hand surgery and burn surgery. A particular focus is on the surgery of skin tumors and soft tissues, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of female breast. Other focuses are reconstructive surgery of head and neck, aesthetic operations, including eyelid and face lifting as well as lipofilling.

The Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery offers the entire spectrum of cardiothoracic surgery, including heart transplantation and the use of artificial heart systems. A special focus is on the development and the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques. Worthwhile emphasizing are the modern bypass surgery, cardiac valve repair surgery and the surgery to regain the normal rhythm.

The Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine at the University Hospital Aachen under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Joseph Neulen has optimal diagnostic capabilities and numerous treatment methods. The patients with hormonal gynecological diseases are treated in the Department. Other focuses are reproductive medicine with various methods of in vitro fertilization (artificial insemination).

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery covers the entire field of specialization, including microsurgical reconstruction and aesthetic surgery. A special focus is on the interdisciplinary therapy for treating tumors, malformations, traumas and treatment before the use of prostheses and implants.

Three departments at the University Hospital Aachen are responsible for pediatrics: Department of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Department of Pediatric Heart Surgery. The Department of Pediatrics includes the following sections: the section of Neonatology and Intensive Care Medicine, Hematology/ Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant as well as Pediatric Neurology and Center for Social Pediatrics. The joint department provides treatment to all the children with heart diseases, including the children, who undertake surgical treatment of the heart.