Interdisciplinary Center for Radiosurgery in Hamburg: Prof. Lippitz and Prof. Würschmidt

The interdisciplinary Center for Radio Surgery (iCERA) under direction of Prof. Dr Florian Würschmidt and Prof. Dr Bodo Lippitz focuses on stereotactic radiation of tumours and vascular malformations of the head. The practice in Hamburg is the only one in Northern Germany specialising in this field with the full technological range available. The iCERA is part of the Radiological Alliance Hamburg, a physician-led, regional joint practice consisting of 11 radiological practices. Through interdisciplinary cooperation, the entire range of radiological, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapeutic procedures can be offered at the highest level.

Gamma Knife Radiotherapy Hamburg

Radio-surgery is a form of high-precision radiation and is mainly used to treat diseases of the brain – without any incisions. Diseased areas of the brain are irradiated with sub-millimetre precision and three-dimensionally in high doses. A single session is thus usually sufficient. Treatment is done on an outpatient basis. After radiation, patients can immediately resume their normal daily activities.

Prof. Dr Würschmidt and Prof. Dr Lippitz use the Gamma Knife tool at the Interdisciplinary Center for Radio-surgery in Hamburg. This high-precision radiotherapy device can also be used to treat brain tumours that would otherwise not be accessible for therapy (e.g. because of a complex location near important brain structures). Even multiple brain metastases are treated in one session with the Gamma Knife device. Thanks to modern radiosurgery, vascular malformations in the brain can also be treated without surgery in order to reduce the risk of brain haemorrhage.

Gentle Precision Radiation Even for larger Tumours

For the treatment of larger target areas in the brain, the specialists at iCERA Hamburg use one of the most modern linear accelerators, the Varian Truebeam STX. This procedure, which lasts several weeks, also protects the surrounding healthy tissues to maximum degree. The most important goal of Prof. Dr Würschmidt and Prof. Dr Lippitz is the optimal care of their patients as well as the treated persons’ preservation of life quality. In some cases, radiosurgery is used as a supplement to a surgical measure. In other cases, it even makes an operation unnecessary.

Operating Without a Blade by Using the Gamma Knife

The effect of the Gamma Knife can be compared with a burning glass:  More than two hundred low-dose beams are bundled into one previously calculated point. The highly concentrated radiation dose, which is accurate to a tenth of a millimetre, can completely eradicate a tumour whilst protecting the surrounding tissue.

Brain Metastases and Recurrences of Brain Tumours

About 30 percent of tumours in the brain are brain metastases. Because they cause similar symptoms, they are treated exactly like a primary brain tumour. The Gamma Knife makes it possible to irradiate not only single but also multiple brain metastases in just one session. The same applies to the recurrence of brain metastases and smaller tumours such as glioblastomas. Conventional radiation would either damage the healthy brain tissue too much or – in low doses – not achieve desired results. 

Vascular Malformations of the Brain

Most vascular malformations in the brain are congenital, some of them caused by high blood pressure or others by smoking. They usually remain undetected for a long time. If symptoms occur at all, they manifest themselves in the form of headaches, seizures, or paralysis. Vascular malformations (e.g. aneurysms) can burst because of their unfavourable shape and lead to life-threatening cerebral haemorrhages. With the help of Gamma Knife radio surgery, the diseased blood vessels can be successfully treated without the need for invasive surgery in form of a catheter or open surgery.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a facial pain caused by damage to the triplet nerve (nervus trigeminus) on the side of the head. Those affected suffer from sudden and extremely severe pain in the areas of eyes, cheeks, and upper/lower jaw. These pain attacks last between a few seconds to several minutes and can occur various times a day. If medicinal therapy does not lead to any relief, radiosurgical intervention with the Gamma Knife can be performed as an alternative to open surgery. Without previous surgery, this therapy is successful in about 75% of patients treated.

Benign Tumours of Brain and Meninges

Benign brain tumours such as meningiomas, acoustic neuroma, or pituitary adenomas can also cause unpleasant and dangerous symptoms. Their spatial demands can trigger headaches, cramps, visual disturbances, paralysis, speech, and hormone disorders. In patients with moderately sized tumours in sensitive brain areas or in patients with a high risk of surgical needs, Gamma Knife radiotherapy is a gentle and effective treatment option. In 90 percent of those cases, this method leads to a shrinkage or permanent standstill of tumour growth. For very large or persistent tumours, Gamma Knife treatment can also be used as a follow-up therapy to surgery in order to destroy remaining tumour residues.

Radiological Alliance Hamburg: Diagnostics and Therapy at the Highest Level

The Radiological Alliance is an association of 11 practices where more than 50 highly qualified physicians are active. In combination with state-of-the-art equipment, patients can be treated in the best possible way and diseases can be detected at an early stage. In a pleasant atmosphere, all patients receive individual care and treatment at the cutting edge of medicine. The Radiological Alliance offers the entire range of radiological, nuclear medicine and radiotherapeutic procedures. 

Further information is available on the website of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Radiosurgery.