Bariatric Surgery Vienna (Austria) Prof. Dittrich

Prim. G.-Prof. Dr. univ. Klaus Dittrich is a specialist in metabolic and bariatric surgery practicing in Vienna. He is also a resident physician at a private practice of the Surgery Department of the Rudolfinerhaus Private Clinic.

In addition to his specialization in metabolic surgery, Dr Dittrich is also well-versed in the field of general surgery, including tumour surgery, in particular when it comes to tumours of the stomach, the bowels (colon and rectum) and the pancreas.

Prof Dittrich is the head of the entire Department of Surgery at the Korneuburg / Stockerau (NÖ – north-eastern part of the city) District Clinic.

For 125 years now, the Rudolfinerhaus Clinic has functioned as a private clinic and it ranks among the very finest hospitals in all Austria. It combines tradition in the fields of medicine, nursing and education. Regarding the medical facilities of the hospital, it is equipped at the highest level of high-tech diagnostic methods and advanced treatment modalities. Moreover, the patients are offered a hotel-like service in their luxurious rooms, which adds to the medical services rendered by the hospital team. In this regard, the Rudolfinerhaus Clinic is unparalleled in the whole of Austria, since it has at its disposal specially trained hotel staff that ensures the comfort of the patient.

Prof. Dittrich offers tele-medical remote consultation via Skype especially for foreign patients. In preparation for these telephone consultations, which last a maximum of 20 minutes, existing documents (diagnostic findings etc.) must be made available in German or English. The patient will afterwards receive a doctor's letter containing the findings of the discussion. The cost for one of these consultations is €250, payable in advance.

Bariatric surgery is a specialised field of visceral surgery (viscera = intestines) and serves to combat pathological overweight. For this purpose, an alteration of the gastrointestinal tract is performed. The procedures can be performed in a minimally invasive way, i.e. the surgical procedure is usually gentler and, as such, it has a significantly more minor toll on the body than conventional (= open) surgeries.

Adiposity (obesity) often occurs comorbidly with metabolic disorders that make up the "metabolic syndrome". The treatment of these metabolic diseases falls into a special field of metabolic/ bariatric surgery. These metabolic conditions include Diabetes mellitus type 2, insulin resistance in diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders (dyslipidoemia), sleep apnoea and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Thanks to metabolic surgery, these metabolic conditions can be significantly alleviated, since after an operation, insulin therapy may be superfluous in diabetes; Other diseases usually improve within one year, which occurs in parallel with the weight reduction.

To this end, Prof Dittrich offers a range of various individually adapted surgical procedures: by far, the most common operations are gastric bypasses and sleeve gastrectomies. A gastric bypass entails a reduction of the stomach and a creation of a bypass of the upper small intestine. The reduction of the size of the stomach causes the food intake to be reduced to very low levels and by means of the bypass of the upper small intestine. The decomposition of food components takes place at a later point in time. Thus, the body is provided with fewer nutritional components. Diabetic patients in particular benefit from this method. On the other hand, the sleeve gastrectomy reduces the stomach volume while the digestive performance is maintained. The hospitalisation of the patient in both cases is between 3 and 7 days.

Besides these two standard methods, Prof Dittrich also offers operational alternatives that are chosen depending on the individual case history of the patient. A preliminary consultation is of great importance particularly in the treatment of morbid obesity. Those who opt for such a surgical procedure usually have already been suffering from obesity for many years and they also have to struggle with comorbidities and other related difficulties.

Depending on the health condition of the patient, some operations must be performed gradually.

Consequently, Prof Dittrich’s treatment focus also includes the use of gastric balloons (swallowable balloon), adjustable gastric band, Biliopancreatic Derivation (BPD) and plastic follow-up procedures, such as removal of excess skin or fat aprons.

Moreover, Prof Dittrich places great emphasis on the subsequent care of patients who have undergone surgery. This is why they have at their disposal the services of a nutritionist. In order to avoid postoperative complications as far as possible, Dr Dittrich further offers his patients radiological care.

Owing to the many years of his practical surgical experience, Prof Dittrich is a recognised authority in his field and he is a speaker at many conferences.

To visit Dr Dittrich’s website, please click here.