Our Experience. Your Security.
As the largest center in Europe, the HAMBURG HERNIA CENTER offers you individual and competent treatment of all types of hernias (inguinal, femoral, umbilical, abdominal wall, incisional and hiatal hernias, including diastases recti and sports hernias). Our practice network consists of several independent practices that specialize in the treatment of hernias and that work together to ensure optimal patient care. We offer our services at various locations in Hamburg.
As the largest center in Europe, the HAMBURG HERNIA CENTER offers you individual and competent treatment of all types of hernias (inguinal, femoral, umbilical, abdominal wall, incisional and hiatal hernias, including diastases recti and sports hernias). Our practice network consists of several independent practices that specialize in the treatment of hernias and that work together to ensure optimal patient care. We offer our services at various locations in Hamburg.
Head Physician Bethesda Hospital Bergedorf
Prof. Dr. med. Marco Sailer
Specialist for general, special visceral, vascular surgery and proctology
What are Hernias?
A hernia (inguinal, femoral, umbilical, abdominal wall, incisional or diaphragmatic) is a gap in the abdominal wall through which the peritoneum bulges outwards like a sack. In most cases, there is a congenital weakness of the connective tissue. Intestines (parts of the small and large intestine) can slip into and become trapped in the resulting bulging of the peritoneum. This situation can be life-threatening. It is therefore necessary to operationally close the resulting gap in good time (preferably planned).
In our Hernia Center, which is certified as a reference center at several locations in Hamburg, we specialize in the particularly gentle treatment of abdominal wall hernias.
Our Special Expertise
- Our Innovations
- MILOS
- Dynamic Ultrasound (DIUS)
- IFT
- Pain-preventing nerve management
- Micro-invasive Surgery
The surgeons at the HAMBURG HERNIA CENTER have significantly improved the field of international hernia surgery through decisive innovations over the last 2 decades.
They are key opinion leaders both nationally and internationally and regularly contribute to scientific progress in hernia and abdominal wall surgery at specialists’ conventions.
In Prof. Niebuhr’s case, the development of the IFT method and special ultrasound examinations (DIUS procedure) to improve diagnostic certainty are worth mentioning. Dr. Reinpold developed the internationally recognized endoscopic MILOS procedure and introduced a concept of pain-avoiding nerve management .
Dr. Reinpold (l.) and Prof. Niebuhr (r.) preparing for the annual congress of the European Hernia Society 2019 in Hamburg
The MILOS / EMILOS OP procedure is the first technique that enables inserting the mesh outside the abdominal cavity via very small skin incisions. This procedure leads to much fewer complications compared to traditional methods.
The minimally invasive MILOS and EMILOS operation method, developed by Dr. Reinpold and his team, has revolutionized hernia surgery and is currently the best method for abdominal wall and incisional hernias.
With more than 6000 E/MILOS operations, the specialists at the HHC have the greatest experience with the technically demanding procedure – worldwide.
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Dr. Reinpold as a guest at NDR Visite
(only availble in German)
Dynamic Ultrasound (DIUS)
Ultrasound of the abdominal wall and groins: The special ultrasound procedure developed and published by Prof. Niebuhr has made the diagnosis of groin and abdominal wall hernias more reliable. In many cases, time-consuming and expensive procedures such as MRT and CT can be avoided.
Intraoperative Fascia Traction (IFT)
The procedure for intraoperative fascia stretching used by Eucker in 2011 in the treatment of large open abdominal wall wounds to enable a low-tension closure was successfully used by Prof. Niebuhr and his team in the treatment of large abdominal wall hernias with loss of domain. According to the first study and publication, in so far 30 cases an average distance gain of 9.8 cm and thus a tension-free closure of the abdominal wall could be achieved. In the course of this development, it was possible to route the traction threads through the skin and to mount them on the traction frame, so that the traction can be applied to the deep layers of the abdominal wall without causing a major wound. The fascial traction procedure can also be used in combination with the MILOS procedure .
Fig.: Percutaneous facial traction
Pain-avoiding handling of groin nerves
During his time as head of the hernia center at Reinbek Hospital (1997-2003), Dr. Reinpold carried out a large study on how to deal with the groin nerves during open hernia surgery on 800 patients. The study showed that nerve-sparing surgery significantly reduces the risk of chronic postoperative pain. Only nerves that are already damaged by scar tissue should be removed. The study was published in 2011 in the internationally prestigious journal Annals of Surgery .
Micro-invasive Surgery
Since 2012, Prof. Niebuhr and his team have been operating micro-invasively on inguinal and abdominal wall hernias with particularly fine, high-strength instruments with an outer diameter of 2 mm. The scars left behind are so small that they do not have to be sewn up and after a short time are almost no longer visible. This allows for an almost scar-free surgery.
Prof. Niebuhr specializes in micro-invasive surgery
Our doctors have unique experience in the field of hernia surgery.
30.000
Documented surgical procedures
in the hernia register “Herniamed”
Quality signed and sealed
The Hamburg Hernia Center has been certified as a reference center for inguinal and abdominal wall hernia surgery - making it one of the few hernia centers in Germany with the highest level of certification from the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery and the German Hernia Society.
The data from the Herniamed surgery register proves that our specialists have the most experience in the treatment of inguinal hernias and other hernias in Germany. Herniamed, under the patronage of the responsible specialist societies, records the hernia operations carried out in Germany and evaluates them for quality assurance purposes.
Prof. Niebuhr and Dr. Reinpold were again named Top Physicians in 2021 by Focus magazine. The Focus Ärzteliste (list of doctors is an established guide for patients who are looking for specialized doctors. The assessment is based on feedback from patients and colleagues.
Humanitarian Hernia Missions
Help with Hernias Worldwide
While, in Germany, the treatment of inguinal umbilical and other hernias is almost always covered by statutory and private health insurance companies, there are unfortunately still many countries in which a (large) part of the population cannot afford such an operation. This not only has a negative effect on the everyday quality of life for those affected, but often also prevents them from exercising their profession. If the intestine is trapped, an untreated hernia can even be fatal in the worst case.
It is particularly important to us to make our expertise available to these patients in need as well as to the local doctors for training and education purposes. That is why we regularly organize humanitarian hernia and training missions, where we provide our services to those affected in Africa, Latin America and China free of charge.
COVID 19 – Current information and measures for our everyday practice
Dear patients,
Due to the current situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic, we see it as our duty to take measures to keep the practice running, but at the same time offer maximum protection for you, our employees and us.
Our hygiene measures have always been high and of course we adapt them to the current recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute and the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung.
We would like to respect your health and deal with the current situation as responsibly as possible and therefore ask you to observe the following information:
Notice
- Patients who have had contact with a proven Covid-19 case and/or have a cold or symptoms such as fever/cough/runny nose are prohibited from entering the practice to protect other patients and the practice staff.
- Before making an appointment, consider how urgent your health concern is. Do you suffer from clearly debilitating pain, acute functional limitations or are you planning an intervention that can be postponed?
- Only bring another person to your doctor’s appointment if absolutely necessary. We have already provided a second waiting room, but the following still applies: the fewer people in a room, the better.
- Before entering the practice, pay attention to the signs regarding Corona/COVID-19.
- Please wear medical mouth and nose protection, ideally an FFP2 mask – NO visors, as these do not protect others adequately.
- When entering and before leaving the practice, hand disinfection must be carried out according to the instructions displayed.
- The main transmission route of the COVID-19 virus is through droplet infection, ie via saliva droplets that leave the mouth/nose area when speaking, sneezing and coughing.
- Keep your distance (2 meters is recommended)
- Observe the etiquette for sneezing and coughing (sneeze into the crook of your arm or into a handkerchief, facing away from the person opposite you.) The handkerchief should be discarded immediately. Hand disinfection is to be carried out afterwards.
- Avoid any avoidable touching of the surfaces of the practice equipment. For hygienic reasons, we have not been greeting by handshake for a long time. Let the staff open and close the doors to the treatment rooms.
- Please understand that we are currently not displaying any magazines.
- Repeat prescriptions can be requested by telephone (if you have an insurance card in the current quarter).
Please keep in mind that if one of our employees tests positive for COVID-19, the practice must be closed for the recommended quarantine period.
Status: 01/21/2021
Subject to changes and updates
Contactless video consultation
We offer video consultation hours for initial consultations, discussions of findings and checks after the operation. You will need a PC with a camera and microphone or a current smartphone. You can get an appointment for this under the given practice’s phone numbers.
Important: Please have your insurance card ready. In order to send the necessary link to you we ask you for your cell phone number and e-mail address.
