Gastric Surgery in Germany

Medical Clinic I of the Friedrichshafen Clinic in Germany specialises in gastroenterology. It is the home of gastric surgery in our clinic.

We have the latest equipment available for all aspects of operations on the stomach. The methods and technology used meet the standards of the very best in the world and our highly trained experts participate regularly in further education, so as to keep abreast of the frequent changes in the fast-moving area of gastric surgery.

The medical clinic is lead by Prof. Christian Arnold who took over in 2008. This experienced gastric surgery specialist was born in Munich, Germany and grew up in Göttingen. Formerly, he was chief physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Clinic in Freiburg in south-western Germany, where he gained invaluable experience in the area of gastric surgery. He studied at the Georg August University in Göttingen and earned his doctorate (magna cum laude) in June 1995. In 2005 he qualified as a specialist in internal medicine. Prof. Arnold specialises in operations on the stomach, gastroenterology, gastroenterological oncology and endocrinology.

Disorders within the scope of gastric surgery at our clinic in Germany

• Coeliac disease is a genetic gastric autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine of people of all ages. It results in pain and general discomfort of the abdomen, diarrhoea, constipation, anaemia and general fatigue. Children who are affected might not thrive and vitamin deficiencies are common. Our gastric surgery specialists have much experience in this area.
• Colorectal disorders, many of which are treated with minimally invasive gastric surgery.
• Gastrointestinal cancer and cancer of related organs (oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus). Our special focus is gastric cancer treatment with targent therapy.
• Gastrointestinal interventional endoscopy allows specialists in the area of gastric surgery to examine and perform surgery in one procedure.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases are several inflammatory disorders of the colon and the small intestine. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are two of the most common inflammatory bowel diseases.
• Oesophageal diseases, congenital or acquired, such as acid reflux (heartburn) can result in erosion of the oesophageal lining which causes Barret’s oesophagus, a condition that is related to adenocarcinoma. Globus oesophagus is another disorder of the oesophagus.
• Liver diseases including viral hepatitis, liver dysfunction, infectious and inflammatory disease of the liver, alcohol-related disorders etc. within the scope of gastric surgery
• Pancreatic diseases resulting from damage to the pancreas which can cause digestive enzymes to leak into the abdomen, causing considerable damage. Immediate gastric surgery is required. Another disorder of the pancreas is pancreatitis, as a result of gallstones and alcohol. There are also several pancreatic cancers, including the very dangerous exocrine pancreas cancer.
• Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which sugar is not digested properly, resulting in dangerously high sugar levels in the blood. The young patients are dependent on insulin for the rest of their lives. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is usually associated with overweight adults but children can also be affected.

Weight loss surgery in the area of gastric surgery:

• Endoscopic methods: EndoBarrier and intragastric balloon
• Weight loss surgery methods: laparoscopic stomach bands, sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch

Diagnostic methods in the area of gastric surgery:

• interventional endoscopy
• 24h emergency endoscopy
• placement of stents
• double balloon endoscopy
• endosonography
• diagnostics and therapy of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders

Gastric surgery diagnostics with a "capsule"

Under gastric surgery specialist Prof. Christian Arnold, the gastric specialists of our clinic in Germany can perform diagnostics within the small intestine with the aid of a tiny camera, which monitors your innards.

This method is a blessing for physicians and patients alike in the area of gastric surgery. Capsule endoscopy, which is used by the Medical Clinic I of the Friedrichshafen Clinic in Germany, has its origins in the Israeli secret service. The tiny camera takes photographs over a period of 8 hours and sends the images to a receiver. This method is used for areas of the intestines that are not covered by other methods.

This method is new in the area of gastric surgery and requires much effort by the physician. It is therefore only used in very special circumstances, but it represents a breakthrough in gastric surgery. “We only do it around 25 times a year,” says Prof. Arnold, head of our clinic in Germany.

The experienced team of Medical Clinic I of Friedrichshafen Clinic in Germany is standing by to help you in all matters relating to gastric surgery. The methods used in such operations are compliant with the very latest in world standards in world. You can rest assured that you are in the very best of hands in the Medical Clinic I of the Friedrichshafen Clinic in Germany.