EN
Digestive problems are seldom simple: the same complaints can stand for a harmless inflammation, an early tumour, or a metabolism that has got out of hand. It is better to sort that out with a doctor who is at home with endoscopy and also understands the endocrine side. Professor Brigitte Mayinger is precisely that kind of specialist.
Who she is and where she practises
Prof. Dr med. Brigitte Mayinger is a physician in internal medicine and chief physician of the clinic for gastroenterology, diabetology and general internal medicine (Medical Clinic II) at Helios Klinikum München West. She has headed the department since 2004.
She qualified in gastroenterology in 1997 and in endocrinology in 2003, both at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. She additionally holds the diabetologist qualification of the German Diabetes Society (DDG) and training in palliative medicine. In Erlangen she completed her habilitation in 2001 and was later made an adjunct professor.
What she does specifically
Professor Mayinger’s main instrument is flexible endoscopy: examining the oesophagus, stomach and bowel from inside, as well as the bile ducts and the pancreatic duct. It is diagnosis and treatment in one: through the endoscope, polyps and early tumour changes in the lining are removed, bleeding is stopped, narrowings are widened and stents are placed — without incisions or a major anaesthetic.
Her second field is metabolism: diabetes, obesity including the inherited kind, and thyroid disease. Having gastroenterology and endocrinology in the same hands is convenient here: the patient does not have to assemble an opinion piece by piece from different doctors.
What she is known for in the profession
Professor Mayinger’s research is on the early detection of tumours of the oesophagus and stomach during endoscopy. Her habilitation was based on light-induced autofluorescence spectroscopy — a method in which the tissue is illuminated and its own glow distinguishes altered areas from healthy ones. The point of that work is simple: to see a tumour while it can still be removed endoscopically.
How we arrange an appointment
We request a date at the hospital, translate your medical records into German and send them to the doctor in advance, so that the assessment does not have to start from nothing. Then comes an interpreter at the appointment and during examinations, and help with the visa and accommodation. The hospital invoices you directly, with no mark-up from us.
This material is for information only and does not replace a consultation with a doctor. Seeing a particular specialist in person depends on their schedule and the hospital’s workload. Whether treatment is possible, what it will involve and what it will achieve can be determined only after an examination in person.