Department of Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology, Facial Plastic Surgery - Schoen Clinic Duesseldorf

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology, Facial Plastic Surgery at Schoen Clinic Duesseldorf

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology, Facial Plastic Surgery at the Schoen Clinic Duesseldorf provides the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in the areas of its competence. The department treats patients of all ages with diseases of the ear, throat, and nose, as well as offers plastic surgery on the face and neck. Of particular interest to the department's doctors is the treatment of pathologies of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, inner ear, and obstructive sleep apnea. The medical facility also specializes in the treatment of benign and malignant head and neck tumors, especially neoplasms of the salivary glands, thyroid gland, and upper respiratory tract. The department's doctors operate on patients in state-of-the-art operating rooms equipped for microsurgical, endoscopic, and laser interventions. Plastic surgery involves the use of instruments and suture material that allow for good aesthetic outcomes. Many therapeutic procedures and minor surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis without a mandatory hospital stay. The team of the department's ENT surgeons performs more than 1,500 surgical interventions of varying complexity every year. It is worth mentioning that the department has a history spanning more than 40 years. Thanks to the high standards of medical care and excellent treatment results, the health facility has earned an excellent reputation in the national and international medical arena. The Head Physician of the department is Dr. med. Bernhard Robbers.

One of the key clinical interests of the department's doctors is the treatment of diseases of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The medical facility admits patients with nasal polyps, rhinitis, sinusitis, deviated nasal septum, nasal bone fractures, and benign and malignant nasal neoplasms. During the diagnostic stage, specialists perform rhinoscopy, rhinomanometry, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other diagnostic procedures. After establishing a diagnosis, doctors begin to elaborate on a personalized treatment regimen. With appropriate clinical indications, the specialists use only drug therapy with pills, injections, and nasal sprays. For patients with complex clinical cases, invasive treatment may be prescribed. This may be radiofrequency ablation, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), surgical repair of the internal nasal valve, septoplasty, rhinoplasty, rhinoseptoplasty, balloon sinuplasty, and other surgical procedures. The team of the department's ENT doctors has excellent professional skills in nasal surgery. The experts use modern sparing surgical techniques in their work to achieve good therapeutic and aesthetic outcomes.

The department also successfully treats inner ear diseases, such as otitis media, Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, tinnitus, vestibular disorders, and a vestibular schwannoma. When these conditions are suspected, the patient undergoes diagnostics, which may include audiometry, tympanometry, electronystagmography, videonystagmography, computerized dynamic posturography, electrocochleography, imaging tests, laboratory blood tests, and other tests. After studying the results of a comprehensive diagnosis, the department's ENT doctors consider possible treatment options. The specialists present them to the patient during an individual consultation, and the patient decides what type of therapy he wants to receive on his own. In many cases, middle ear pathologies respond well to conservative treatment. However, in some situations, it is necessary to perform surgical treatment. Patients are operated on by experienced specialists who are the authors of advanced techniques in ENT surgery. Middle ear interventions are performed in the department using microsurgical techniques, which ensure minimal trauma to healthy tissues, mild pain, and rapid patient recovery in the postoperative period.

The team of the department's ENT doctors excels in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The main method of conservative treatment for this pathology is CPAP therapy (continuous positive airway pressure). In some cases, the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may require surgical removal of enlarged tonsils, surgical repair of malformations of the jaw and palate, or a deviated nasal septum, as these pathological conditions may cause periodic breathing cessation during sleep. The department's specialists also perform uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, an operation during which excessive soft tissues of the oral cavity (soft palate, pharynx, and palatine tonsils) are removed in order to widen the airway, thereby improving airflow in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Facial and neck plastic surgeries are also performed in the department's operating rooms. The therapeutic options include reconstructive plastic surgery after injuries, resection of facial and neck tumors, and reconstructive interventions for congenital malformations. In addition, the department's plastic surgeons perform aesthetic facial plastic surgery, such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, face and neck lifts, etc.

The department's range of medical services includes the following:

• Otolaryngology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of nasal and paranasal diseases
    • Diagnostics and treatment of nasal polyps
    • Diagnostics and treatment of rhinitis
    • Diagnostics and treatment of sinusitis
    • Diagnostics and treatment of nasal fractures
    • Diagnostics and treatment of benign and malignant nasal tumors
    • Correction of a deviated nasal septum
  • Diagnostics and treatment of middle ear diseases
    • Diagnostics and treatment of otitis media
    • Diagnostics and treatment of Meniere's disease
    • Diagnostics and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
    • Diagnostics and treatment of tinnitus
    • Diagnostics and treatment of vestibular disorders
    • Diagnostics and treatment of a vestibular schwannoma
  • Diagnostics and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea
• Facial plastic surgery
  • Reconstructive plastic surgery of the face and neck after the resection of tumors, injuries, and congenital defects
  • Aesthetic plastic surgery of the face and neck: blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, and face and neck lifts
• Other medical services

The department's surgical options include:

• Endoscopic interventions
• Microsurgical interventions
• Laser interventions
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Other types of surgical treatment