Prof. Dr. Markus Stücker celebrates his 20th anniversary at the Vein Center Bochum

The Vein Center of Dermatology and Vascular Surgery is one of the largest vein centers in Germany. Here in the clinics of the Ruhr-University Bochum at the St. Maria-Hilf Hospital, Prof. Dr. Stücker works together with his team. The main focus is on spider veins and varicose veins, among others.

This year you have been head of the Department of Phlebology, Lymphology and Dermatological Angiology as well as the Clinic for Dermatology for 20 years. What has changed medically during this time? What has remained the same?

Very early on, in 2004, we founded the interdisciplinary Vein Centre of the Dermatological and Vascular Surgery Clinics. This takes into account the general tendency towards the formation of centres. Whereas in the past specialists were each working in their own special field, in today's medicine it is the case that specialists in different special fields treat patients with special clinical pictures as comprehensively as possible. An example of this is, for example, the breast centres, but also our vein centre.

Have you been able to register an increase in the number of patients during this time?

The close cooperation between two university hospitals in one vein centre has been very well accepted by patients due to the high quality of the work, so that the number of patients who consult us per month has increased by a factor of more than 20 in recent years. For this reason, we moved from the Josefhospital to our own hospital area in the St. Maria-Hilf-Hospital in 2005 and have continuously expanded our space and personnel possibilities here as well.

What are the special features of the vein centre?

The Vein Centre of the Dermatological and Vascular Surgery Clinics of the Ruhr-University Bochum is one of the largest vein centres in Germany and the largest vein centre in the Ruhr area. In no other vein centre of this size is the expertise of two university hospitals so concentrated. This makes it possible to participate in the development of the latest therapy methods. In large international approval studies on microfoam sclerotherapy and sclerotherapy of spider veins, for example, the Vein Center was one of the largest test centers, the quality of which has also been checked and approved by the American FDA. In 1999, the Vein Center was one of the first centers to introduce varicose vein treatment using catheter techniques, initially with radiofrequency catheters, but quickly followed by laser catheters. Minimally operative methods such as valve repair (extraluminal valvuloplasty) and ultrasound-guided minimally invasive crossectomy were also introduced and established for the first time throughout Europe in Bochum.

For which medical cases do you recommend laser therapy for the treatment of varicose veins and why?

Laser therapy is excellently suited for the treatment of truncal vein defects of the large and small rose vein. After the treatment, patients are very quickly able to resume their work and do sports. Laser therapy has a very good ratio between low stress for the patient and good effects.

Further information is available at https://www.klinikum-bochum.de/venenzentrum.html