Surgery for oropharyngeal cancer in University Hospital Ulm

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University Hospital Ulm offers the full range of medical services in the areas of its specialization. The department's doctors conduct conservative and surgical treatment of diseases of the ear, throat, and nose. The department includes the Head and Neck Surgery Center, certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG), whose main clinical focus is the treatment of head and neck malignancies. The department's specialists also have excellent skills in paranasal sinus and skull base surgery, microscopic ear surgery, including the placement of hearing aids for congenital or acquired hearing loss, and plastic reconstructive surgery. Moreover, the department has been treating ENT diseases in children and adolescents for more than 50 years. Young patients with hearing loss, adenoiditis, tonsillitis, acute otitis media, acute sinusitis, and other pathologies regularly receive medical care here. The department's surgeons work in modern operating rooms adapted for endoscopic and microsurgical interventions. It is important for doctors to achieve an effective treatment result while taking into account aesthetic aspects. The department has gained a reputation as one of the best medical facilities of this kind at both national and international levels. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Hoffmann.

The department houses one of the largest Head and Neck Surgery Centers in Germany, which specializes in the treatment of patients with head and neck malignancies. The medical facility is part of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm (CCCU) and works in strict accordance with the recommendations of the German Cancer Society (DKG). The specialists prefer an interdisciplinary approach to their work, so weekly tumor boards are held here with the participation of physicians from related medical specialties, including oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, and internists. The physicians cooperate closely to elaborate a treatment regimen that is best for the patient. As a rule, the first-line treatment is the surgical resection of the malignant tumor, followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. If the patient has contraindications to surgery, chemoradiation therapy is considered. It is important to note that the department's surgeons are highly skilled in laser surgical techniques. Robot-assisted interventions may also be performed, if clinically indicated. The use of sparing surgical techniques allows doctors to completely remove the tumor while preserving the functionality and aesthetics of the face and neck. In complex clinical cases, extensive surgery is required, after which defects may remain in the area of tumor resection, so experienced plastic surgeons specializing in reconstructive plastic surgery also work here.

The department's doctors are highly competent in the treatment of hearing loss. Surgery is often indicated for the treatment of the advanced stages of hearing loss. In many cases, hearing loss develops due to middle ear diseases such as chronic otitis media, cholesteatoma, otosclerosis, glomus tumors, and middle ear adenomas. Operations for the above-mentioned diseases are performed using microsurgical and endoscopic techniques. The department's surgeons perform stapedectomy (stape prosthetic repair) with a CO2 laser to treat otosclerosis. Patients with complex forms of hearing loss undergo surgery to implant a bone conduction hearing aid (BAHA), middle ear implant (VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE), or cochlear implant.

Another important focus of the department's specialists is the treatment of acute and chronic paranasal sinus diseases. The department's specialists successfully perform functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) for the treatment of chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and sinus tumors. Intraoperative imaging and navigation systems are also used during surgical interventions for sinus pathologies. This approach provides patients with high safety for surgical manipulations. In addition, endoscopic techniques can guarantee the best aesthetic result.

The department diagnoses and treats swallowing disorders (dysphagia). This condition may occur due to various causes, including neurological diseases (for example, stroke or Parkinson's disease), malignant oral tumors, or age-related changes. To make a diagnosis, the department's doctors carry out a special endoscopic examination, with the help of which they can thoroughly assess the act of swallowing and detect the cause of difficulty swallowing. Based on the diagnostic results, an individualized treatment regimen is developed. In many cases, several therapeutic methods are combined, such as speech therapy, correction of diet and consistency of foods, and drug therapy to improve muscle tone and eliminate inflammation. In rare cases, surgery may be required.

The department's key clinical focuses include:

• Diagnostics and treatment of head and neck malignancies (within a specialized center certified by the German Cancer Society)
  • Surgical treatment
    • Minimally invasive surgery, including robot-assisted and laser surgery
    • Reconstructive plastic surgery after a surgical procedure
  • Conservative treatment
    • Chemotherapy
    • Radiation therapy
    • Chemoradiation therapy
    • Targeted therapy
    • Immunotherapy
• Diagnostics and treatment of hearing loss
  • Middle ear surgery
    • Tympanoplasty
    • Operations to implant prostheses for the repair of defects of the auditory ossicles (mainly SMART prostheses)
    • Stapedectomies for otosclerosis (mainly with a CO2 laser)
  • Operations for the placement of partially and fully implantable hearing aids
    • Placement of middle ear implants VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE
    • Placement of bone conduction implants (Bonebridge MED-EL and BAHA)
    • Cochlear implantation
• Diagnostics and treatment of paranasal sinus diseases
  • Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS)
• Diagnostics and treatment of Osler-Weber-Rendu disease
  • Treatment with hemostatic ointments
  • Laser therapy
  • Application of a synthetic film in the area of the nasal septum
• Diagnostics and treatment of midface and skull base injuries
  • Minimally invasive surgery for soft tissue injuries of the head, mouth, and neck
  • Minimally invasive surgery for midface fractures: nasal pyramid, orbital bones, and cheekbones
• Diagnostics and treatment of ENT diseases in children
  • Tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils)
  • Tympanostomy (placement of tympanostomy tubes)
  • Otoplasty (correction of everted ears)
  • Implantation of bone conduction hearing aids
  • Cochlear implantation
• Diagnostics and treatment of voice disorders (phoniatrics)
• Diagnostics and treatment of swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
• Skull base surgery using modern intraoperative techniques and navigation systems
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery in the head and neck area, functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty
• Other medical services