Prof. Adamietz utilises radiation primarily to heal and to alleviate medical conditions. Here, both experience and focused skill play an essential role in the philosophy of treatment of the Director of the Radiotherapy and Radio-oncology Clinic, since the utilisation of radiotherapy for various benign and malignant conditions can be promising. A wide range of conditions can be treated by means of ionising radiation.
At the same time, it is important to know that the radiotherapy performed by the specialist, Prof. Adamietz, has nothing to do with the absorption of radioactive substances into the body, even if the treatment itself is reminiscent of an X-ray examination, in which radioactive substances enter the body.
In order to keep the application of the radiotherapy as gentle as possible, the specialist Prof. Adamietz performs these in as many single sessions as possible. So, the decision as to the number of sessions does not depend on the severity of the condition, but rather on the potential for protecting the healthy tissues as much as possible. In the process, the radiation dose applied in the treatment of the signs of wear and tear is actually even smaller.
The application of radiation is very successful, both in the treatment of painful degenerative skeletal conditions and in the minimisation of excessive scar formation. Thus, as a specialist in radiotherapy, Prof. Adamietz can successfully treat the pain of arthritis, tennis and golfer’s elbow, calcaneal spurs, painful knee, shoulder and spinal joints, for example. At the same time, radiation is successful in preventing the development of painful calcifications in the region of a joint following surgery.
The Tendon Centre represents one focus of the Radiotherapy and Radio-oncology Clinic of the Catholic Hospital Bochum at the St. Josef Hospital. Here, the treatment of changes in the tendons due to inflammatory conditions represents a successful focus of the clinic of Prof. Adamietz. The radiotherapy technique specially developed here is very effective and provides enduring treatment results.
For malignant conditions such as cancer, radiotherapy is among the three most important treatment emphases. Statistically, a cure by means of radiotherapy is possible in 55% of cases and the condition is alleviated in the remaining 45%.
Prof. Adamietz performs the radiotherapy essentially on an out-patient basis unless in-patient treatment is required on medical grounds. Here, the treatment takes place in the newly opened ward of the Catholic Hospital, Bochum at the St. Josef Hospital, in close collaboration with the Department of Oncology, where the patient is cared for before, during and after the radiotherapy. Thus, brief stays can be arranged for the patients, which are very important for Prof. Adamietz and his team. Expediting the stay in hospital is supported by so-called supportive measures
Under the leadership of the Clinical Director, Prof. Adamietz, the radiology clinic has been active in a variety of treatment centres for a number of years and, in its experience, very complex and difficult cases can, in fact, be successfully treated by means of radiotherapy. These include, for example, the treatment of tumours of the head and neck, for the treatment of which a specific technique has been developed.
The specialist in radiotherapy / radio-oncology treats approximately 2000 patients per year in his clinic. In doing so, he also co-operates with a variety of centres.
Gamma Knife Center Bochum
The treatment of brain tumors (neuro-oncology) poses an interdisciplinary and technical challenge. At the Gamma Knife Center Bochum, a special form of radiotherapy, namely radiosurgery, is used for this purpose.
Gamma Knife therapy (radiosurgery) heals benign brain tumors and gently removes cerebral metastases. It can also be used to atrophy vascular malformations and to treat trigeminal neuralgia. In a single session (one-time radiation), highly precise (with maximum protection of the surrounding healthy organs in the sub-millimetre range) and non-invasive treatment of the targeted tissue is carried out and tumors are destroyed without blood loss. The Gamma Knife Center Bochum offers exclusive interdisciplinary competence at university level. On request, patients at the center can receive inpatient care with hotel comfort.