Dr. Kirsten Meurer is Managing Senior Physician at the Clinic for General and Visceral Surgery at the St. Josef Hospital in Bochum. Hernia surgery is a focal point at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum. Over 500 patients with hernias are treated surgically every year. In addition to treating patients with inguinal hernias, Dr. Meurer and her colleagues also surgically treat all other hernias at the Hernia Centre at St. Josef Hospital Bochum, including umbilical hernias, incisional hernias, epigastric and parastomal hernias and diaphragmatic hernias.
The Hernia Center at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum was certified as a competence center for hernia surgery by the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery and the German Hernia Society in 2015. This certification gives patients the assurance that the Hernia Center Bochum complies with quality standards in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hernias and that care is provided in accordance with the latest medical knowledge.
Since a hernia, i.e. a protrusion of the peritoneum and possibly of intestines outwards through a gap (usually) in the abdominal wall, never disappears on its own, a hernia should generally be treated surgically, especially if there is a risk that the section of intestine that has passed through could become trapped and die as a result. The experts working with Dr. Kirsten Meurer at the Hernia Center at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum have access to all modern and common procedures for repairing a hernia. In general, Dr. Meurer and the surgeons at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum use all common treatment methods, with a focus on tension-free procedures with the insertion of a plastic mesh to reinforce the hernial orifice. Depending on the procedure and patient, surgery at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum is preferably performed using a minimally invasive technique, but all procedures are also offered using open surgery. Together with the patient, Dr. Kirsten Meurer determines the most suitable surgical procedure.
The Hernia Center at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum offers its patients outpatient, pre-hospital or inpatient treatment, depending on their personal risk. Before the therapeutic procedure, patients are examined by Dr. Meurer and her colleagues at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum on an outpatient basis and given detailed advice. Only then is the decision made as to whether the procedure will be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis at the Hernia Center Bochum.