Wir überwinden Grenzen

Unique facility in Baden-Württemberg / Central point of contact for radiological interventions for outpatients, inpatients and emergency patients / Focus on cancer and emergency medicine as well as vascular defects in children

The Medical Center - University of Freiburg inaugurated the Radiological Intervention Center (RIZ) on July 8, 2024. The 460 square meter facility was built in just 17 months. It was financed by the University Medical Center to the tune of 8.7 million euros. The center contains three intervention rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art imaging, in which minimally invasive treatments are carried out with maximum safety. It is one of only a few centers in Germany and the only one in Baden-Württemberg where highly complex radiological procedures are carried out using a combination of computer tomography and angiography. At the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, it is now the central point of contact for outpatients, inpatients and emergency patients who require a minimally invasive radiological intervention.

Registrations can still be made via GP or specialist practices to the Interventional Radiology Department at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, and individual outpatient consultations are also possible in advance

"The RIZ is a state-of-the-art facility for minimally invasive, image-guided therapy of numerous diseases," says RIZ Director Prof. Dr. Wibke Uller, Head of the Section for Interventional Radiology at the Department of Radiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "We are proud to be one of Germany's pioneers in gentle and targeted interventional radiology care."

Internal bleeding, vascular occlusions and innovative cancer therapies

At the RIZ, physicians treat adults and children in emergencies, such as internal bleeding or vascular occlusions. This involves combining 3D image data from computed tomography with 2D data from angiography, which enables more precise therapies. More and more patients are benefiting from interventional radiology. "We can treat everyone here, from infants to the very elderly. The range of diseases for which radiological intervention can help is growing rapidly," says Prof. Dr. Fabian Bamberg, Medical Director of the Department of Radiology.

The procedures are also playing an increasingly important role in cancer therapy. At the RIZ, physicians can remove tissue from certain areas for tumor diagnostics with high precision and image guidance. With other procedures, the tumor can be minimally invasively cut off from the blood supply, heated or cooled down, depending on the requirements.

"The Radiological Intervention Center will be a central point of contact that will benefit patients throughout the hospital. This will further improve patient care beyond the region," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "This was made possible in particular by our innovation partnership with Siemens Healthineers," says Wenz.

Outpatient treatment with maximum safety for patients

The RIZ is located in close proximity to important medical facilities at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Two of the intervention units contain modern angiography systems. One unit is equipped with a mobile computed tomography (CT) scanner, which forms a hybrid system with the angiography system. The RIZ also represents a significant step in the outpatientization of the University Hospital's services, which means that patients can often go home on the same day after minimally invasive procedures. "This gives patients the quality of an inpatient stay without having to stay overnight at the hospital," says Uller.

Picture captions:

Image 1: The new Radiological Intervention Center is centrally located on the grounds of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. This means that it is only a short distance from the emergency room, intensive care units and many normal wards.

Image 2: Successful start with the first patient: The team led by Prof. Dr. Wibke Uller (3rd from left) has started operations in the new Radiological Intervention Center

Photo 3: A view through the new CT and joy among the cooperation partners of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and Siemens Healthineers (from left to right): Prof. Dr. Fabian Bamberg (Medical Director, Department of Radiology), Prof. Dr. Wibke Uller (Head of Section Interventional Radiology), Dr. Bernd Ohnesorge (Head of Region Europe, Middle East, Africa, Siemens Healthineers), Anja Simon (Commercial Director, Medical Center - University of Freiburg), Dr. Carsten Dose (Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Medical Center - University of Freiburg), Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz (Chief Medical Officer, Medical Center - University of Freiburg), Prof. Dr. Christopher Schlett (Head of the Cardiovascular Imaging Section, Department of Radiology), Dr. Stefan Schaller (Head of Western Europe, Siemens Healthineers)

Image rights: Medical Center - University of Freiburg