Ortenau Hospital Achern-Oberkirch - Spinal surgery

Ortenau Hospital in Achern-Oberkirch is extremely important for the entire region in providing patient care. Over 5,000 employees and more than 500 doctors look after patients who come to the flagship hospital for the entire region, from the Rhine Valley to deep in the Black Forest. Since 2012, the hospital has had a separate and highly-specialised department focused entirely on diseases of and injuries to the spine. Since being established, this department has made a significant contribution to the hospital’s supra-regional reputation. The department is managed by two doctors who have worked together in perfect harmony for many years: Dr Rainer Klavora and Dr Bilal Boyaci.

Slipped discs, back problems, spondylolisthesis: spinal problems are some of the most common reasons for appointments with doctors. Back pain is also up there at the top when it comes to work absences and applications for early retirement. That comes as no surprise: ultimately, the spine supports the head and upper body and also enables us to walk upright. But because too many people nowadays exercise too little even in childhood, because obesity and uneven movement lead to signs of wear and tear, and because most people spend far too much time sitting down, back pain is a very widespread condition. Most commonly it is the intervertebral discs that are the true “victims”: if intervertebral discs are not called upon regularly in physical activity, they eventually lose their elasticity.

People in the Ortenau region and far beyond who come to the Spinal Surgery Department at the Achern site of the Achern-Oberkirch Ortenau Hospital with a spinal problem are in good hands: if you are looking for a top-class department that provides a full range of non-surgical and surgical treatment for spinal conditions, you are in the right hands. Dr Bilal Boyaci and Dr Rainer Klavora, the chief physicians here, know that many who suffer back pain are unsure of what exactly is going on. The pain tells them that something is not right, and they are afraid of having an operation. That is precisely why both chief physicians believe it is particularly important to carry out a full examination of their patients and offer them comprehensive advice.

The chief physicians are:

Dr Rainer Klavora, consultant in surgery, orthopaedics and trauma surgery, sports medicine and emergency medicine, CPU medical expert. Dr Klavora also enjoys passing on his specialist knowledge to the next generation of doctors and has multiple licences relating to this.

Dr Bilal Boyaci, consultant in orthopaedics, chiropractic, CPU medical expert.

Most complaints that the consultants deal with on an everyday basis can be treated without surgery. Patients find that reassuring at the beginning. Nevertheless, the question that needs to be asked is: can the complaints be resolved fully with non-surgical treatment? For example, by relieving pressure on the spinal canal in the damaged area or stabilising unstable vertebral segments? Will a physiotherapy treatment concept be enough? One, for example, that is tailored to the individual patient’s needs with sport activities or therapeutic exercises? Or can the issue perhaps be solved with injection treatments, which is also a non-surgical procedure?

Comprehensive diagnosis and individual treatment options

After carefully diagnosing the issue, Dr Bilal Boyaci and Dr Rainer Klavora often work together to create an individual treatment concept – and to decide whether surgical intervention is necessary. In the diagnostic process they use the full range of state-of-the-art diagnostic methods, from computer tomography to full-body MRI. With their full range of options, the experts can precisely determine whether the patient is suffering from kyphosis, a condition of the spinal canal, inflammation of an intervertebral disc, or a spinal tumour: the number of potential conditions affecting the spine is a rather large one.

There are many reasons why these two doctors make such a good team: They both worked for some years under Professor Jürgen Harms, a world-renowned expert in spinal surgery who was involved in establishing this spinal centre, which attracted international attention too. As a pioneer of modern surgical techniques, Professor Harms developed, for example, implant systems including the “Harms cage”, which was named after him and which is used to treat spinal conditions and injuries. The connection to Achern has remained: Professor Jürgen Harms now works as a cooperating specialist doctor, sharing both his surgical skill and huge wealth of specialist knowledge with the two chief physicians.

Since Dr Rainer Klavora and Dr Bilal Boyaci took over the department together in 2012, they have continuously built upon the reputation of spinal surgery in Achern. The department today is renowned for treating its patients using state-of-the-art, progressive surgical techniques very gently and successfully. The experts rely here on the full range of modern spinal surgery techniques, which enables them to treat malformations and symptoms of wear and tear, as well as vertebral body fractures, tumours and deformities, plus inflammatory changes to the spine and age-related pain.

High level of safety: a wealth of surgical experience

Their experience is extensive: Dr Boyaci and Dr Klavora have carried out well over a thousand operations. To ensure the long-term success of the treatment, the chief physicians also provide follow-up treatment to encourage integration back into professional and everyday life as quickly as possible. Back problems or slipped discs in particular, after all, often mean that patients cannot have a normal working life or everyday social life.

The experience of both chief physicians is widely sought. Both are medical experts (CPU) who have earned qualifications at the highest level. In addition to targeted analysis of medical files, the experts provide expert opinion diagnoses that can also be understood by medical laypersons. Their patients know all about that: when Dr Rainer Klavora and Dr Bilal Boyaci explain a diagnosis and treatment options, the empathetic doctors always try to ensure that the patient has understood every word.

This also applies to the consultations on symptoms which the consultants also offer together. In this consultation, held at the surgical partnership practice at MVZ Achern, many interested parties benefit from both consultants’ huge wealth of specialist knowledge.