Head physician PD Dr Christian Tilz hosted a symposium to mark the launch of the Clinic for Neurology and Epileptology, which was recently formed from two independent departments at the NDT site in Weissenau. The speakers provided fascinating insights into the history of medicine and new treatment options. Finally, Tilz rounded off the programme with an insight into the future design of the clinic.
In the middle of the year, PD Dr Christian Tilz succeeded Dr Hartmut Baier and Dr Andreas Meyer, who had previously headed the separate departments of neurology and epileptology at ZfP Südwürttemberg. Both departments were merged into a single clinic. The new head physician took this as an opportunity to invite numerous renowned speakers from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland to Ravensburg.
In his welcoming address, NDT Regional Director Prof Dr Juan Valdés-Stauber explained the background to the newly formed clinic and thanked everyone involved for their commitment and trust: „A merger like this naturally raises many questions and also creates uncertainties, but we were able to overcome these together and without any major difficulties.“ The idea of multi-professionalism cultivated in the hospital certainly also contributed to the success: „Many hands contribute to success.“
The long road to specialisation
The former head physician Dr Baier looked back on the history of epileptology in particular. He explained that it was only towards the end of the 18th century that the so-called „lunatics“ were regarded as patients requiring medical treatment. This period also saw the founding of the Weissenau nursing home in 1892, which then became a sanatorium and nursing home in 1903. As a royal Württemberg insane asylum, it was primarily intended to accommodate „epileptic mental patients“.
In 1905, the first special ward with 25 beds for epilepsy patients was opened in Weissenau. In descriptions of this time, epileptics were described as „dangerous and unpredictable people“ and epileptic seizures as a „repulsive event“, Baier described. He also traced the long road to the independence of epileptology and the founding of the Lake Constance Epilepsy Centre. The latter was finally achieved „after 13 years of tenacious struggle“ in 2000. „Prof Walter Fröscher, who is also present, played a key role in this.“ At the end of his speech, Baier presented his successor Tilz with a baton specially designed for the occasion and said: „I wish you perseverance and stamina, sufficient frustration tolerance and, above all, much joy in your work for the benefit of the patients.“
100 years of the electroencephalogram
Dr Günter Krämer spoke about the history of epileptology in Germany on the occasion of the anniversary of EEG diagnostics this year by Hans Berger, who succeeded in making the first EEG measurement in humans in Jena in 1924. Other presentations focussed on new drug therapy options for the treatment of epilepsy, as well as other highly topical issues relating to neurostimulation, the use of artificial intelligence for seizure monitoring, minimally invasive treatment procedures and new microsurgical therapy approaches for the treatment of chronic pain patients depending on anatomical stages.
Towards the end of the conference, a very up-to-date and didactic overview of the treatment of Parkinson's patients was presented.
Once again, host Tilz himself set the final point. After thanking the many helping hands of his team and all the speakers and audience, he focused on the future developments of the new Weissenau Clinic for Neurology and Epileptology: „Based on the solid foundation of the existing infrastructure, the clinic will be modernised technically and structurally to meet the challenges of the times,“ emphasised Tilz.
Furthermore, the aim is to intensify networks regionally, nationally and internationally in order to establish modern medicine with a focus on epileptology, Parkinson's disease and pain treatment, as well as to expand the clinic's scientific training programme.