Neurosurgery Karlsruhe - Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Uwe Spetzger

Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Uwe Spetzger, is a specialist in neurosurgery and head of the Neurosurgical Clinic at the Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital.

As a maximum care clinic, the Neurosurgical Clinic under Prof. Spetzger has a unique position in treating space-occupying brain lesions, spinal cord, and craniocerebral trauma. In addition, the range of services includes all surgical therapy approaches for neurosurgical treatable diseases and injuries of the central and peripheral nervous system.

Brain Tumor Surgery in Karlsruhe

One of Prof. Spetzger’s central treatment focuses is surgical interventions for brain tumors. Both benign and malignant space-occupying brain tumors are removed with excellent care and maximum healthy brain tissue protection. In doing so, Prof. Spetzger and his team routinely use state-of-the-art microsurgical surgery procedures as well as neuronavigation, stereotaxy, ultrasound techniques, and intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring.

In addition to surgical therapy, postoperative treatment concepts in cooperation with the patient and family members play a central role. Therefore, the focus is on interdisciplinary collaboration with the specialist disciplines involved, such as oncology, radiology, and radiotherapy.

Therapy of Cerebrovascular Diseases

Malformations and bulges of the cerebral vessels can lead to cerebral hemorrhages if left untreated. If these are discovered, Prof. Spetzger and his team recommend surgery or endovascular therapy by neuroradiology. Depending on their location and size, brain aneurysms can be closed by coiling or clipping.

In coiling, a catheter placed through the groin is used to close the vascular outpouching using metal coils without surgery. Cerebral aneurysm clipping is a surgical procedure in which the defective vessel is closed from the outside with a metal clasp at the aneurysm site. In principle, surgical or endovascular treatment options are also available for vascular malformations. Prof. Spetzger decides which procedure is most suitable in close cooperation with the neuroradiology department, always adapted to the individual case.

Spine Surgery

Another primary focus of the neurosurgical clinic in Karlsruhe is spinal surgery. Prof. Spetzger and his team are experienced in the surgical treatment of herniated discs, spinal tumors, and spinal injuries. Prof. Spetzger attaches particular importance to the consideration of each individual case. For example, not every herniated disc requires surgery. But if nerves are destroyed by compression, the spine specialist in Karlsruhe has various surgical procedures available for the cervical and lumbar spine.

Prof. Spetzger and his neurosurgery specialists also use a range of surgical techniques and accompanying measures for spinal tumors, which the expert in spinal neurosurgery adapts individually to each case. His expertise includes tumors in the spinal cord or nerves and space-occupying lesions of the bony spine. In spinal cord tumor surgeries, the physician's focus is always on preserving the functions. Therefore, such surgeries are performed with function-preserving microsurgery.

Neurosurgical Pain Therapy – Help for Uncontrollable Pain Conditions

Neurosurgical pain therapy has various procedures available to eliminate pain that is otherwise difficult or impossible to control.

Microvascular Decompression

In trigeminal neuralgia and other nerve pain, a pinched nerve caused by vessels may be the cause. Decompression can correct the cause of severe nerve pain without further damaging the function of the nerve.

Intrathecal or Neurmodulatory Pain Therapy

When the cause of the pain cannot be directly controlled, severe pain can be suppressed with a pain pump or electrical stimulation. For example, for intrathecal pain therapy, a small tube is inserted into the spinal canal. This is connected to a pain pump, which can now continuously deliver pain medication directly to the point of action in the brain. This allows the dose to be reduced multiple times. Neuromodulatory pain therapy also attacks pain in the spinal cord area by implanting stimulating electrodes to help control it through electrical stimulation.

For more information, please visit the website of the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital.