Duisburg: Strengthening the pancreatic and liver surgery team

27/10/2026 10:10

Helios St. Johannes Hospital in Duisburg is strengthening its team with an experienced specialist: on October 1, 2026, Dr. Nour Alkhanji joined the Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery.

Pancreatic surgery is considered one of the most difficult and complex procedures in abdominal surgery. At the same time, cases of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis have been increasing for years. Liver diseases are also becoming more common as the population ages. To address these challenges, Helios St. Johannes Hospital in Duisburg is strengthening its team with an experienced medical specialist. As of October 1, 2026, Dr. Nour Alkhanji has joined the Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery at Helios St. Johannes Hospital in Duisburg as a senior physician.

Dr. Alkhanji completed his medical studies in Syria before moving to Germany to continue his medical training as a resident physician. He later earned his doctoral degree from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and completed his specialist training at the university hospital there. Most recently, he served as a senior physician at Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum University Hospital, where his surgical expertise included complex oncological procedures, organ transplantation, and liver and pancreatic surgery.

Dr. Nour Alkhanji: "I am very pleased to have the opportunity to join the team in Duisburg. As one of the few non-university hospitals, this facility is able to perform even complex pancreatic procedures using robotic surgery. This capability, together with the hospital's already outstanding expertise in liver surgery, convinced me to join the team. I am delighted that patients in northern Duisburg can also benefit from these modern surgical techniques. Particularly in cancer surgery, the use of robotic systems has now been shown to be associated with longer survival and improved quality of life for patients."

Chief Physician Dr. Norbert Hennes also comments on the addition to his team:

"With Dr. Alkhanji, we have found a colleague whose expertise perfectly aligns with our hospital's areas of specialization and who will help our team build on what we have already achieved. We aim to continuously advance our expertise in pancreatic and liver diseases. The technological innovations we experience every day through our smartphones are, of course, also transforming the operating room. Our goal is to combine the highest level of medical expertise with state-of-the-art technology."

To date, nearly 2,000 robot-assisted procedures have been performed at Helios St. Johannes Hospital in Duisburg. Today, more than 90% of all pancreatic surgeries at the hospital are carried out using the da Vinci surgical system. Under the leadership of Chief Physician Dr. Norbert Hennes, the hospital has developed into a European training center for this technology.

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