The cost for urethral reconstruction using tissue engineered oral mucosa will be covered.
Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Fahlenkamp – Zeisigwaldkliniken Bethanien Chemnitz – is a specialist for urology, andrology and pharmaceutical tumor treatment. Since 2007, he is chief of medicine for urology at the hospital Zeisigwaldkliniken Bethanien Chemnitz, and in addition he is also active in several task forces. (German Society for Urology, European Surgical Institute as well as the American Urological Association). He pioneered various surgical procedures and has been invited and served at numerous national and international hospitals as guest surgeon. With his expertise and extensive urological experience, he is the right person to contact for difficult diseases in the urogenital region.
One of these diseases is without doubt the urethral stricture. Until recently, not a single therapy for urethral strictures was fully satisfying. They were either prone to cause relapse (dilation, incision) or other serious complications. Urethroplasty, for example, is a therapy with very low probability for relapse, but usually it requires a certain amount of tissue as transplant. Oral mucosa from the patient is best suited for that purpose, but the extracted mucoperiosteal flap is usually so large that the extraction can cause serious post-surgical complications. Some of the complications which can last for several weeks include pain and heightened sensitivity, but also difficulties when eating. The best solution consists of an innovative procedure during which only very little oral mucosa tissue is extracted for the cultivation of a transplant. The duration of the cultivation can take several weeks and afterwards the tissue can be placed without any problems at the diseased position of the urethra. This procedure leaves the patient without additional pain in the oral region. To date, this procedure is offered in only a select few German hospitals. One of them is the hospital for urology of the Zeisigwaldkliniken Bethanien because Prof. Dr. Fahlenkamp is a specialist and pioneer in this area, too. Afflicted patients are welcome to meet with him during consulting hours and will receive a comprehensive consultation on the advantages and disadvantages of various treatments.
A qualified consultation is decisive for a well-informed decision since the topic of interest is one’s own health and well-being. A urethral stricture requires an immediate decision that should not be stalled since it leads to urine retention which in turn can cause chronic infections that might – in the worst case – move up the ureter to the renal pelvis. Infections in the renal pelvis bring about horrible pain for the patient and if they remain untreated can cause chronic kidney damage or sepsis. The prostate and epididymides can become inflamed, too, due to the continuous urinary tract infection.
In order for that not to happen, patients should seek medical attention from a urologist early on. After the diagnosis, patients should turn to a hospital that offers the state-of-the-art and gentle surgical procedure of urethral reconstruction using tissue engineered oral mucosa.
