Splenectomy in spherocytosis in St. Lukas Clinic Solingen

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric General, Abdominal, Hepatobiliary, Colorectal, Endocrine Surgery, Hernia Surgery and Traumatology at the St. Lukas Clinic Solingen offers the full range of surgical interventions in the areas of its specialization. The department is focused on effective and most sparing surgical treatment. The team of surgeons admits patients of various age groups with benign and malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder and biliary tract, colon and rectum, as well as hernias, thyroid and parathyroid pathologies, tendon and joint injuries, bone fractures. With appropriate clinical indications, the surgical treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis. The department's operating rooms have advanced equipment and are adapted for surgical interventions of varying complexity. The department's pride is also the professionalism of surgeons who keep pace with innovations and perform most surgical interventions using minimally invasive techniques, due to which the surgical risks for the patients are almost zero. The department is headed by Dr. med. Markus Meibert.

The primary focus of the department's specialists is the surgical treatment of diseases of the digestive system: stomach, bowel, esophagus, pancreas and others. Surgeons pay special attention to the treatment of malignant gastrointestinal pathologies. Gastroenterologists, oncologists, radiation therapists and other doctors of related medical specialties are usually involved in the therapeutic process. Recently, doctors are increasingly able to avoid traumatic open surgery, so patients can count on sparing and safe minimally invasive treatment that does not require a long hospital recovery. It should be noted that the department has successful experience in the treatment of peritoneal cancer, which often develops due to advanced oncological processes in the gastrointestinal tract. Surgeons offer patients a highly effective method of fighting peritoneal cancer – hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The technique involves a surgical resection of a malignant tumor, followed by flushing the abdominal cavity with a heated solution of chemotherapy agents. Unlike classical chemotherapy, the drugs directly affect the cancer cells in the abdominal cavity, which achieves an excellent treatment outcome and eliminates side effects. The HIPEC procedure requires special professional skills, so it is available only in the leading medical centers in Europe.

Of particular interest among the benign digestive pathologies is the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, in which the gastric acidic contents enter the esophagus. Heartburn and belching are the most common symptoms of this pathology. The main cause of the development of the disease is diaphragmatic hernia. In most cases, the department performs minimally invasive surgery using special instruments and a miniature camera. This type of surgery has a number of advantages, in particular, the absence of a severe pain syndrome, minor postoperative scars and a reduced period of hospital stay.

In the field of surgical hernia repair, doctors perform interventions for inguinal hernias and anterior abdominal wall hernias. The department's surgeons perform minimally invasive hernioplasty, so patients do not have to worry about postoperative recovery. The medical facility has been awarded the quality certificate of the German Hernia Society (DHG), which indicates compliance with therapy standards and high treatment success rates.

Hepatobiliary surgeons deal with the treatment of patients with liver, gallbladder and biliary tract diseases. The most common pathologies include benign and malignant neoplasms in these organs, gallstone disease, hepatic colic, gallbladder and biliary tract inflammation. In most cases, surgeons use low traumatic techniques for tumor removal. Liver tumors are also successfully treated with thermal ablation. In gallstone disease complicated by hepatic colic or cholecystitis, surgeons also perform gallbladder removal surgery. Cholecystectomy is performed using minimally invasive techniques, under general anesthesia. As a rule, a hospitalization period lasts no more than 7 days. The gallbladder removal surgery does not adversely affect the patient's quality of life.

In the field of colorectal surgery, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, colon and rectal cancers are treated. Depending on the stage of the pathology and the nature of its course, minimally invasive and classical open surgical interventions are performed. The operation is usually supplemented with drug therapy, and in the case of cancer, with other types of treatment.

The department also specializes in the treatment of endocrine diseases. The competence of endocrine surgeons includes interventions for goiter, benign and malignant tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Depending on the particular clinical case, a partial or total resection of the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands is performed. When performing thyroid surgery, doctors use neuromonitoring: this allows the specialists to maintain the integrity of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and prevent voice disorders. Thanks to the use of low traumatic techniques, the patient is guaranteed an excellent aesthetic result.

The department's team of doctors provides the treatment of injuries of varying severity, including tendon and joint injuries, as well as bone fractures. The specialists use conservative and surgical techniques. In case of joint injuries, the surgeons of the medical facility use such therapeutic options as knee arthroscopy, total hip replacement and reconstructive tendon surgery. Bone fractures are most often treated with the use of titanium rods, external fixators, plates and other devices. The medical facility provides top-class services recognized by the quality certificate of the German Society of Trauma Surgery.

Along with the treatment of adults, an important area of ​​work of the department is surgical interventions in children. When dealing with the treatment of children, the department's specialists use special approaches. Pediatric surgeons have extensive knowledge of organ systems, as well as understand the growth and maturation of children. In addition, young patients require a special approach, understanding of their needs and fears. Surgical interventions on children can also be performed on an outpatient basis, for example, in the treatment of the genitourinary diseases and injuries.

The department's main clinical activities include:

• General and abdominal surgery
  • Surgical treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: stomach, bowel, esophagus, pancreas
• Hepatobiliary surgery
  • Surgical treatment of diseases of the liver, gallbladder and biliary tract
• Colorectal surgery
  • Surgical treatment of diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, colon and rectal cancer
• Endocrine surgery
  • Surgical treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands
• Surgical treatment of hernias
  • Surgical treatment of inguinal hernias and anterior abdominal wall hernias
• Traumatology
  • Conservative and surgical treatment of tendon and joint injuries, bone fractures
• Pediatric surgery
  • General surgical interventions
  • Surgical treatment of genitourinary diseases in boys
  • Treatment of injuries in children
• Other surgical options