University Hospital Rechts Der Isar

Located in the Haidhausen district in Munich, the University Hospital Rechts Der Isar has held a high reputation since its founding in 1834.

Clinic Description

This hospital provides patients with robust care and boasts 33 specialised departments and 23 interdisciplinary centres.

This hospital is closely connected with the Technical University Munich and serves as a teaching hospital for medical students. The hospital employs nearly 7,000 staff, and treats nearly 50,000 people every year. That figure does not include the 201,000 patients receiving outpatient treatment through the hospital. The University Hospital Rechts Der Isar has 1,161 beds.

Facts and Figures

• Founded in 1834

• 6,600 staff members employed

• 201,000 patients receive outpatient care every year

• 48,000 patients per year receive onsite treatment

• 1,161 hospital beds

• 33 departments of medicine

• 23 interdisciplinary centres

Important Departments

Known locally and internationally for providing state-of-the-art, modern medical care, the University Hospital Rechts Der Isar has several notable departments.

Department of Internal Medicine II and III

This department is spearheaded by professor Roland Schmid and specialises in virtually all things internal medicine, including testing, cancers, disease prevention, infection, and more. This large and highly specialised team includes more than 60 physicians. 

The group of physicians in this department possess unique specialisation skills. These include liver treatments, complex endoscopic procedures, biliary tract and pancreatic diseases, tumour therapy, and internal intensive medicine. 

Professor Florian Bassermann leads the Department of Internal Medicine III. This department specialises in oncology and haematology. This department consists of 30 specialists and 40 nurses dedicated to treating patients with blood and lymphatic system disorders. 

Department of Surgery

Led by professor Helmut Friess, this department has received international recognition for groundbreaking surgeries on the oesophagus, stomach, and liver. When possible, surgeons in this department use minimally invasive, endoscopic techniques. These difficult techniques are only performed by the most highly qualified surgeons and allow patients a quicker and less painful recovery.

Department of Nuclear Medicine

This department is world-renowned for procedures related to diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. Specialised physicians paired with the most modern equipment available allow for world-class treatment of thyroid disorders, neuroendocrine cancers, liver metastasis, and more.

This department is home to a modern PET centre. This centre uses PET/CT and a PET/MR scanner that provides services for oncology, neurology, and cardiology patients. 

Department of Neurosurgery

With four operating rooms and three wards, this large and comprehensive department also features monitoring units and an intensive therapy unit. Professor Bernhard Meyer runs this department. The team in this department specialises in difficult-to-reach brain tumours and incorporates microsurgical techniques for treatment.

The neurosurgery department also features a neuro-oncology centre and an accredited spine centre. This department also has a special focus on vascular neurosurgery and paediatric neurosurgery.

Breakthrough Achievements

Medications Against COVID-19

While vaccines have been found to be widely successful, not as much progress has been made in medications used against COVID-19. However, scientists at the University Hospital Rechts Der Isar and across Germany are working on a protein that is effective against the virus, regardless of mutation. 

This protein, dubbed FYB207, proved in cell culture tests that it is able to suppress the replication of the virus. This was discovered at the Institute for Virology at University Hospital Rechts Der Isar.

New Cancer Outpatient Treatment Options 

Dr Marion Kiechle, director of the gynaecology clinic at University Hospital Rechts Der Isar, announced new cancer outpatient treatment options for women in late 2021. Her clinic is offering a new approach to treating patients with breast or female reproductive cancers. 

Instead of referring patients to multiple specialists in varying locations, this clinic is offering a new approach that involves concurrent treatment by one interdisciplinary team of physicians. This team not only includes gynaecologists from the clinic but doctors across 15 disciplines. 

Use of Robots in Brain Surgeries 

CorPath GRX Neurovascular is the name of the robot recently incorporated into the neurosurgery department at University Hospital Rechts Der Isar. Under the direction of neurosurgeons, this robot will aid in complex surgeries, specifically with patients suffering from aneurysms. 

The use of this robot allows for more precise and gentle treatment of highly sensitive blood vessels in the brain. Professor Claus Zimmer, director of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, is excited about the new treatment possibilities. 

Using this robot, the skull no longer has to be surgically opened. Instead, a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin. Amazingly, following the course of blood vessels, the robot moves up to the diseased part of the brain.