Prof. Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling

Around 400,000 hernia operations are performed in German-speaking countries every year. Most of these involve the classic inguinal hernia: About one in three men alone undergoes such an operation in the course of his life. However, no two hernias are alike – and that is precisely why it is important to put yourself in the hands of a genuine specialist. Professor Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling is such a specialist, who even possesses a worldwide reputation in this medical discipline.

Between twenty and forty percent of all men suffer a hernia – mostly an inguinal hernia. The reasons for this can be quite simple: Sometimes, constipation is simply enough to cause it; more often, heavy lifting is the culprit. A highly specialized expert can quickly (and with absolute certainty) determine the exact nature of the hernia during diagnosis. And, of course, he also knows which treatment promises the greatest success and enables the fastest return to, ideally, a symptom-free way of life.

Minimally invasive surgery: Gentle approach

With Prof. Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling, your leading expert heads the Clinic for Hernia Surgery at the Vivantes Humboldt Clinic. Together with a highly competent team, Prof. Köckerling usually performs minimally invasive surgery, because this particularly gentle procedure leaves only tiny, barely visible wounds. This also shortens the healing time enormously: Patients can thus move normally again shortly after surgery following an inguinal hernia, incisional hernia or diaphragmatic hernia. Prof. Köckerling even expressly recommends walking around the corridors of the Vivantes Hospital.

Prof. Köckerling and his team even developed a particularly innovative method called "Endoscopic-Assisted Linea Alba Reconstruction plus Mesh Augmentation" entirely on their own: This "ELAR-plus technique" focuses on the reconstruction of the straight abdominal muscles and the midline of the abdominal wall.

Proprietary operation method developed: "ELAR-plus technology"

With the specially developed "ELAR-plus technology", the risk of a re-tear was reduced to an absolute minimum. Normally, the abdominal wall is simply sutured shut again, especially in the case of smaller hernias – and so the next hernia in the area of the body that has been operated on is never too far away. This is exactly what Prof. Köckerling's method can almost rule out entirely.

It was not only with this technique – which caused a worldwide sensation – that the hernia specialist established the international reputation of the Vivantes Humboldt Clinic. The professional world always looks to Berlin, where Prof. Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling and his team set standards with state-of-the-art equipment. Innovative methods of endoscopy include, for example, extremely complex miniature cameras with light sources and high-resolution video monitors, which ensure the greatest possible transparency and safety during the operation.

In addition to his mastery of minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures, Prof. Köckerling naturally possesses a wealth of experience as a specialist in open hernia surgery. Here, he treats abdominal wall hernias of all types and degrees of severity. His treatment spectrum includes all recommended surgical techniques, which are always used individually.

Sought-after speaker: Participant of many symposia

The innovations that Prof. Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling achieves for his patients with his inventive spirit, expert knowledge and irrepressible will to research make him a sought-after guest at congresses. No wonder he is in demand as a speaker at numerous professional conferences. It is, therefore, obvious that Prof. Köckerling has left his mark with many lectures and publications all over the world – and that his name is one of the most frequently mentioned in the specialist literature on the subject of hernias.

Incidentally, Prof. Dr. med. Ferdinand Köckerling meets his patients with a great deal of empathy – from the very first conversation. And since the Vivantes Humboldt Klinikum also serves as a teaching hospital of the Charité Universitätsmedizin, this passionate specialist is also considered an expert when it comes to didactics.