When Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer took over the management of the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Plastic Facial Surgery at ViDia Hospitals in Karlsruhe in 2016, not one but two tradition-steeped institutions in the fan-shaped city gained a top-class clinic director: the experienced otorhinolaryngology specialist is no longer only providing her significant expertise within the Rüppurr Deaconess Hospital, where she has been chief doctor since 2008 – but also at the St. Vincentius Hospitals. She also manages the associated Head and Throat Tumour Centre at the Oncology Centre within ViDia Hospitals Karlsruhe and the Otologic Centre Karlsruhe (Ohren-Schwerpunkt Karlsruhe, OS.Ka).
As a renowned specialist, clinic director Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer is very familiar with all areas of otorhinolaryngology. This also includes all facets of head and throat surgery – at a university level. Whether it be conditions of the nose and sinuses, plastic facial operations or hearing impairments, including in children, Prof. Preyer and her team offer the perfect point of contact.
A particular focus of her everyday medical practice lies in an area in which she enjoys high renown far beyond the region – namely in hearing conditions of all kinds. The Otologic Centre Karlsruhe (Ohrenschwerpunkt Karlsruhe), where an interdisciplinary team led by Prof. Preyer covers the entire range of ear disorders, was established especially for this purpose. Not only are experienced ENT doctors and radiologists available there, but also audiometrists, a speech therapist – and a paediatric audiologist. This means that hearing, speech and speaking disorders can also be treated in children experiencing problems with auditory processing and perception.
Care at the top level: Otologic Centre Karlsruhe
Everything at the Otologic Centre Karlsruhe takes place at the highest level – including care. Nurses, many of whom have decades of experience in treating ear conditions, are on hand to provide this. It is no wonder, then, that many patients with hearing problems from the region and throughout Germany turn to Prof. Preyer and her team.
And as topics such as hearing loss and deafness have far-reaching consequences in all areas of life, people want to rely on an experienced and, above all, empathetic specialist. Those who, for instance, find it hard to understand other people despite hearing aids can enjoy an active social life again with hearing implants – such as a cochlear implant. Prof. Preyer has a great deal of experience, even when it comes to implanting bone anchors for corresponding bone-anchored hearing systems. And by implanting active middle-ear implants, she has already been able to help many people regain almost problem-free communication. During this treatment, the specialist consults directly with patients to always find the best treatment option for them.
When it comes to offering assistance with deafness, Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer generally opts for inner ear surgery – if conservative methods such as treatment with medications have been unsuccessful. She is also exactly the right specialist when it comes to deformities or tumours of the ear, surgery of the outer auditory canal and for operations to improve hearing following accidents or inflammation.
Nose and sinuses: strong expertise
Prof. Preyer also has a great deal of experience in all matters concerning the nose and sinuses. She is just as familiar with surgeries to the exterior of the nose – such as malformations or cancers – as she is with interventions inside the nose itself. The clinic director is thus also able to perform plastic corrective procedures, such as on the nasal septum, to alleviate impairments to nasal breathing, takes a targeted and knowledgeable approach to the treatment of nasal polyps or sinusitis – and performs surgery following accidents or tumours not only on the nose but also on the upper jaw and frontal sinus cavity. And if the eye socket is affected, close cooperation with the ophthalmology clinic comes into play, with which joint interventions are performed for inflammation, Graves’ disease, tumours or fractures of the eye socket and other comparable operations.
One specialist area of the experienced ENT specialist Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer is head and throat surgery. She routinely treats throat cysts, fistulas and thyroid diseases. She has also long been familiar with diverticula in the throat area, with oesophageal conditions and with all manner of tumours in the larynx and pharynx.
Good news for snorers: uvulopalatoplasty provides relief
This field also includes voice-improving surgeries in the case of vocal cord paralysis, tonsil interventions and what are known as snoring operations – i.e. uvulopalatoplasty. Another of the doctor’s specialisms comes to the fore here: Prof. Preyer uses endoscopic surgical techniques wherever possible. This gentle method improves the healing process and ensures that hardly any scars are left.
If irritating scars are already present, Prof. Preyer is once again on hand with her expertise. She also performs plastic facial surgery with great expertise – alongside scar corrections, this above all involves setting back protruding ears and interventions to treat shape changes to the nose, which may be congenital but can also occur due to accidents or tumours. Restorative procedures following facial nerve damage and the removal of skin tumours also form part of the services she offers.
National reputation: Head and Throat Tumour Centre
As the director of the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Plastic Facial Surgery, Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer also presides over the Head and Throat Tumour Centre at the Oncology Centre at ViDia Hospitals Karlsruhe. At this certified centre, patients with a head or throat tumour receive treatment – according to international standards. All processes here operate strictly according to the current guidelines of scientific expert associations and the specifications of the German Cancer Society. The entire team provides individualised treatment incorporating the latest developments in modern medicine.
All those who receive treatment in Karlsruhe can thus count on receiving continuous support throughout their treatment and aftercare – even via an emergency service that can be contacted around the clock in the event of any problems relating to the condition. Here, too, the interdisciplinary approach of Prof. Preyer and her efforts to achieve the greatest possible interaction are clearly evident: close cooperation with family doctors and treating ENT doctors on site is just as important to her as intensive collaboration with the radiotherapists and haemato-oncologists at ViDia Hospitals.
Prof. Dr. med. Serena Preyer acquired her immense experience, which benefits patients in the region around Karlsruhe and beyond, in various ways. She studied and received her doctorate at the University of Hamburg, was a research assistant at the University Hospital Cologne ENT clinic, and completed several research and study stays – including in Sweden, England and the USA. Later, she spent a long period of time in a managerial capacity at the University Hospital of Tübingen ENT clinic, where she also constantly expanded her range of skills. For instance, she also decided to complete additional training in allergology, plastic surgery and specialised ENT surgery. The chief doctor at the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Plastic Facial Surgery at ViDia Hospitals Karlsruhe is also frequently in demand as a technical consultant.