Prof. Markus Düx has earned a first-class reputation as a radiologist far beyond the Frankfurt region - in the field of diagnostics as well as in a wide variety of therapies. Especially as a specialist for vascular and tumor diseases, he enjoys a great international reputation. His state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment center guarantees the highest quality at two locations: in Frankfurt, where the MRgFUS center is located in addition to the radiology department in the Triamedis Medical Center - and in Königstein, where the radiology center is located in the KVB Clinic. In addition, he is the head physician at the Central Institute for Radiology & Neuroradiology in Frankfurt's Nordwest Hospital.
Prof. Düx proves day by day how much specialization makes the difference in medicine: Early on, he focused on the areas in which he now enjoys a high reputation as a specialist. Above all, it is interventional-therapeutic radiology with which he diagnoses and treats tumors and vascular diseases. As early as 1998, he habilitated with a focus on imaging procedures for gastric carcinoma, which brought him to the attention of the medical community. Even then it was clear: This is a radiologist of international standing - which he confirmed again and again through numerous clinical-scientific publications.
As an experienced interventional radiologist, Prof. Düx has dedicated himself to minimally invasive therapies. He began working with thermal local therapy procedures early on and was one of the first therapists to perform minimally invasive CT-guided microwave ablation of liver and lung tumors. These procedures have proven their worth in the world of medicine. At the Nordwest Hospital in Frankfurt/Main, he not only established the Interventional Radiology Department practically single-handedly - in the course of the last few years, he also expanded the therapeutic spectrum for oncological diseases by using minimally invasive therapies at a university level. In doing so, he was always aware of the fact that he could always rely on his highly competent team when taking such forward-looking steps: Only in this way can innovative methods be applied in a targeted and reliable manner.
X-ray today: digital high performance
When it comes to diagnosing and treating diseases in radiology, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, X-rays. In fact, this procedure, which revolutionized medicine back then, is still indispensable - also because of its high diagnostic significance, which provides specialists like Prof. Düx with important information. Today, however, the digitalization of imaging procedures defines the processes in a modern radiology department. This has two decisive advantages: Image quality is extremely high - and radiation is considerably lower than with traditional X-rays.
But before digital X-rays are even taken, Prof. Düx's team checks whether the expected diagnostic information is important for further treatment. This also means that existing X-ray images are included in the diagnosis. Digital X-rays are ultimately used to diagnose bones and joints, the lungs, the abdominal cavity or to detect urinary retention, for example. Prof. Düx often personally discusses the results of the examinations with the patients.
CT and MRI: latest generation equipment for the best results
In the field of CT and MRI imaging, the Diagnostic and Treatment Center is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment at both locations. Prof Düx's team works with an innovative multislice computed tomography scanner, which produces a meaningful 3D data set that can be used to assess the various organs precisely and without any superimposition - including bones, muscles and vessels. Here, too, the radiation dose is considerably reduced compared to previous generations of equipment. The result is short examination times and accurate diagnoses without respiration or bowel movements influencing the image quality.
Perhaps the most informative and least stressful method in radiology used by Prof. Markus Düx is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This radiation-free procedure uses the magnetizability of the types of tissue in the body to produce detailed images. In the Frankfurt dependence, a state-of-the-art closed 1.5 Tesla high-field MRI is used, with the generous window facade in the examination room providing a pleasant daylight atmosphere. The Königstein Radiology Center, on the other hand, has an open MRI that is a real benefit, especially for patients with claustrophobia and for children.
The special 1.5 Tesla high-field MRI in Frankfurt can also be used for therapeutic purposes. The combination of MRI and focused ultrasound waves makes it possible to direct heat to a target area of the body and thus destroy tumors, for example. The procedure is called MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS).
MRgFUS - the gentle therapy method with ultrasound
MRgFUS stands for an innovative, non-invasive therapy method using focused ultrasound waves. In this case, the thermal ablation of tumor tissue is not performed using a "hot needle" that has to be guided into the target organ or tumor, but completely without needles or scalpel using bundled = focused ultrasound waves. In combination with an MRI, which is used for the precise targeting of the heat treatment, a very safe and at the same time effective therapy procedure is created for the patient. It is precisely in this area that Prof. Düx has earned himself a high reputation on an international level. The MRgFUS center in the Triamedis Medical Center is unique in the entire Rhine-Main region; even in German-speaking countries, this modern procedure is only offered at a few clinics. This thermal ablation procedure using focused ultrasound allows certain clinical conditions - such as prostate cancer, uterine myomas, facet joint osteoarthritis and bone tumors - to be treated in a completely new way.
With this procedure, Prof. Düx and his team can very often completely replace surgical interventions because the tissue is simply heated. With MRI support, the specialist maps the respective area without gaps and treats it absolutely safely with his enormous experience.
With individual therapies to freedom from pain
Prof. Düx also uses the MRgFUS procedure for pain therapies. Anyone suffering from persistent pain is therefore also in the best of hands with the empathetic specialist. Prof. Düx knows that pain often seriously impairs the quality of life. Patients do not only profit from the MRgFUS method in the specialist's facilities: when medicinal and physiotherapeutic therapy approaches have been exhausted, CT-supported facet joint infiltration or periradicular therapy (PRT) often provides the pain relief that is so ardently hoped for. The most common form of pain involves the back and spine - and it is precisely this pain that Prof. Düx gets to the bottom of in his radiology practice. He has years of extensive experience when it comes to targeting pain with modern diagnostic equipment and individual treatment methods.
The rare combination of high expertise and state-of-the-art equipment offered by Prof. Markus Düx at several locations has now become widely known. As a result, the patient base is constantly expanding beyond the region. Not surprising: After all, this exceptional specialist ends many ailments without a single incision and often even without radiation.