Department of Gynecology, Mammology and Obstetrics - University Hospital RWTH Aachen

About the Department of Gynecology, Mammology and Obstetrics at University Hospital RWTH Aachen

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Gynecology, Mammology and Obstetrics at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in breast cancer treatment and provision of obstetric services!

The department provides all modern medical services in the fields of its specialization. The gynecologists treat both general and oncological diseases of the female reproductive sphere. Should surgical treatment be required, minimally invasive techniques will be used. The department's mammologists specialize in the treatment of breast cancer using all the classic and innovative therapeutic options. The department is also the Level I Perinatal Center, in which the patient receives the highest quality pregnancy management, comfortable childbirth and postpartum care. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Elmar Stickeler.

The priority fields of the department’s work is gynecologic oncology. The doctors have in their arsenal both conservative and surgical treatment methods for cancer pathologies. When treating cancer, interdisciplinary cooperation with the representatives of related fields plays the key role, therefore the department's gynecologists actively involve radiologists, radiation therapists, surgeons, urologists, experts in the field of nuclear medicine, plastic surgery, etc. In order to reduce the hospitalization period, the diagnostics is often carried out on an outpatient basis. The department shows excellent results in the treatment vulvar, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers.

The department's doctors also have vast experience in breast cancer treatment. This field is certified by the German Society of Senology and the German Cancer Society. All relevant diagnostic options are available here (for example, ultrasound, mammography, biopsy, digital mammography, tomography mammogram, 3D mammography, breast MRI), which makes it possible to make an accurate diagnostics and develop an optimal treatment regimen. The field of ​​competence also includes individual consultations on genetic causes of breast cancer and on the preservation of reproductive function after cancer treatment.

The department's mammologists specialize in various surgical interventions for the treatment of benign and malignant breast diseases. The most common practice involves an intervention with the removal of axillary sentinel lymph nodes. After radical resections, the doctors perform plastic surgeries to ensure the best cosmetic result.

In the field of obstetrics, the department provides a comprehensive pregnancy management (general and special ultrasound examinations, for example, first trimester screening and fetal ultrasound). The accurate diagnostic equipment allows the doctor to detect abnormalities and malformations of the fetus at the stage of prenatal development. The service range is complemented by interventional therapy of fetal malformations during the prenatal period. One of the common procedures is intrauterine blood transfusion, which may be necessary in fetal anemia due to infections or incompatibility with the mother's blood group.

The department's obstetricians have vast experience in the management of high-risk pregnancies, multiple pregnancies. A delivery takes place in modern delivery rooms equipped with all the necessary auxiliary devices for the successful childbirth. The priority purpose of the department's obstetricians is childbirth with the best possible safety for mother and baby. The department annually delivers about 1,500 babies, which testifies to the competence of medical personnel and high trust of patients.

The range of medical services of the department includes:

• Gynecology
  • Sparing, minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery (Da Vinci surgical system)
  • Treatment of all malignant neoplasms of the female reproductive sphere (for example, uterine, cervical, ovarian, vulvar cancers)
  • Endometriosis treatment (as part of the specialized certified center)
  • Treatment of dysplasia of the cervix, vagina, labia
  • Treatment of infectious lesions (condylomas/genital warts), inflammatory changes and chronic diseases
  • Treatment of benign diseases (fibroids, genital malformations, hemorrhages)
  • Urinary incontinence treatment
• Mammology
  • Diagnostics
    • Clinical examination
    • High resolution ultrasound 
    • Mammography
    • Needle aspiration biopsy
    • Ultrasound-, mammography-, MRI-guided vacuum biopsy
    • Examinations in collaboration with the Department of Radiology (digital mammography, tomography mammogram, 3D mammography and breast MRI)
  • Therapy
    • Chemotherapy
    • Radiation therapy
    • Hormone therapy
    • Targeted therapy
    • Combination therapy
    • Organ-sparing interventions on the mammary gland
    • Radical resection followed by plastic surgery in order to restore breast shape
    • Breast plastic surgery (breast augmentation, reduction, breast lift)
• Obstetrics
  • Prenatal medicine
    • First trimester screening
    • Diagnostics of functionality of the fetal organs (for example, fetal echocardiography)
    • Fetal MRI
    • Invasive diagnostics: сhorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, cordocentesis
    • Invasive therapy: intrauterine blood transfusion, for example, in fetal anemia caused by infections or incompatibility with the mother's blood type, catheter therapy for fluid drainage from the pleural cavity and other therapeutic options
  • Childbirth (natural, C-section)
  • Postpartum care both for mother and baby
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic services