Procelsio Clinic – Orthopedic Private Clinic Essen

The Procelsio Clinic is a private clinic belonging to the Essen University Medical Center, which is also open to persons with statutory health insurance under certain conditions. The clinic specializes in minimally invasive interventions on joints.

In recent years, the specialized clinic has become one of the leading competence centers for innovative joint replacement, hip arthroscopy, and autologous chondrocyte transplantation. Experienced specialists always choose the gentlest therapy for the patient and preserve the joint.

Joint Preservation before Joint Replacement

The primary goal of gentle therapy is always to preserve the natural joint. Therefore, minimally invasive joint replacement is not considered before all options have been exhausted, and the pain symptoms cannot be alleviated significantly.

In order to live up to its own claim, the Procelsio Clinic consistently relies on innovative treatment methods and on special joint-preserving procedures that only very few clinics can offer. This combination of arthroplasty and joint-preserving procedures is what makes the private orthopedic clinic so unique.

Leading in Hip Arthroscopy

Arthroscopy, or joint endoscopy, allows an endoscope with a light source and camera unit to be inserted into the joint space through a small incision in the skin to assess the joint interiors. This minimally invasive technique can avoid opening the joint and accelerate the healing process. Hip arthroscopy, in particular, is a particularly demanding procedure that requires many years of experience. The specialists at the Procelsio Clinic have been performing up to 200 hip arthroscopies per year for more than 15 years. Certain medical conditions should be treated in time to prevent the development of osteoarthritis.

Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation at Knee and Hip

This innovative method covers defects in cartilage damage of moderate extent. It requires two short arthroscopic procedures. The first is limited to a cartilage biopsy, i.e., a cartilage tissue harvest from an articular cartilage area with no lesions. Then, the harvested chondrocytes (cartilage cells) are stimulated to divide and produce cartilage substances under optimal biological conditions in the laboratory. After a six- to eight-week cultivation period, this transplant can be applied onto the defect site in a second surgical procedure, like a "patch on the clothing."

While cartilage cell transplants on the knee are now performed at many orthopedic facilities, only a very few clinics in Germany can perform them on the hip as well. Therefore, the physicians at the Procelsio Clinic were involved in developing this procedure and conducting the associated studies.

Innovative Prosthesis Technology

Technological advances in radiological imaging have enabled the widespread use of MRI/CT imaging for meticulous surgical planning in three dimensions. In addition, progressive refinement of surgical access and techniques can minimize the impact on surrounding tissues and thus reduce the time required for healing.

AMIS Hip

There are many different variants from which a surgeon can access the hip joint. They differ in their potential to spare the overlying musculature and accelerate the healing process. For example, anterior minimally invasive surgery (AMIS) does not cut the muscles but simply pushes aside the muscle-like curtains to operate on the underlying hip joint. All specialists at Procelsio Clinic use only this atraumatic and tissue-sparing approach.

PSI Knee

The abbreviation PSI stands for a patient-specific set of instruments. Conventional knee prostheses fulfill their purpose in every case, as they replace the degenerative altered joint and alleviate pain symptoms. However, compared to these "off-the-shelf" joints, the production of an individual knee prosthesis is "measured" in advance. This is done using MRI imaging of the entire leg. This allows the anatomically correct leg axis of the individual to be calculated and a three-dimensional model of the affected joint to be created. Based on these findings, a "custom-made" knee joint with an optimal fit can be produced in a 3D printing process, if required, and individually adapted surgical instruments for single use can be made in the same manufacturing step.

Mini-Prosthesis

The earlier a cartilage lesion is diagnosed and treated, the better. This is because the extent of the damage can only be kept to a minimum by timely intervention. In addition, the smaller the defect area, the more likely the patient is to qualify for a joint-preserving treatment option. In a mini-prosthesis, only damaged cartilage is replaced by implanting a custom-made prosthesis that fits perfectly into the contour of the surrounding articular cartilage. This procedure has the decisive advantage that the natural joint structure, including the ligamentous apparatus and healthy cartilage parts, is preserved.

For more information, please visit the Procelsio Clinic website.