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Features & Facts
Leading Transplantation Center
UZ Leuven is one of the main transplant centers in Europe, performing hundreds of organ and tissue transplants each year, including kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, and lung transplants. In 2024, the clinic performed 18 combined organ transplants, representing 54.5% of all such procedures in Belgium.
Lung Transplant Milestone
Doctors performed their 1,500th lung transplant in 2025. Since 1991, the program has completed 1,267 double, 160 single, and 73 combined lung transplants. For 709 lung transplants performed at University Hospital Leuven from 2013-2023, the reported survival was 90% at 1 year, 82% at 3 years, and 75% at 5 years. The facility has also performed successful lung transplantation in 25 children.
Liver Transplant Record
In 2026, UZ Leuven performed its 2,000th adult liver transplant, which the hospital described as a Belgian national record. The first liver transplant at Leuven was performed in 1989. The hospital reports liver-transplant survival above 90% at one year and 80% at five years. The program uses multidisciplinary transplant expertise and machine perfusion to expand the usable donor pool.
Continuous Modernization & Digitalization
The hospital is investing heavily in modern buildings, single or small inpatient rooms, updated operating theatres and intensive care units, as well as electronic health records and digital tools.
Robotic Surgery Volume
The clinic performed about 1,200 robot-assisted surgical procedures in 2023, compared with 200 annually when robotic surgery began there in 2007. The program now covers urology, abdominal, cardiac, thoracic, gynecological and other surgery.
Wireless Pacemaker Expertise
UZ Leuven implants about 400 pacemakers annually. In 2024, its cardiologists were the first in Belgium to implant a new dual-chamber wireless system potentially suitable for more than 80% of patients requiring pacing. The facility is a European reference center for wireless pacing. In 2015, cardiologists here implanted Europe's first Micra wireless mini-pacemaker, and subsequent experience in 100 patients showed complication rates could fall by up to half.
High-Tech Surgery
Many operations are performed using minimally invasive or hybrid techniques, including laparoscopy, endovascular procedures, and robotic-assisted surgery. These approaches often allow smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery when clinically appropriate. The facility performed 57,600 surgical procedures in 2025, averaging 231 operations per operating working day. Of these, 146 per working day were performed in day-hospital surgery.
World-First RAD Radiotherapy
In 2024, UZ Leuven treated its first patient with RapidArc Dynamic (RAD), a new radiotherapy technique combining IMRT and VMAT. The hospital reported this as the world's first clinical use of the technique.
Oncology Treatment Volume
As documented in 2024, the Leuven Cancer Institute recorded 35,823 patients, 49,766 consultations and 55,060 day admissions. Its radiotherapy service treated 2,974 patients in 34,877 treatment sessions.
High-Resolution NeuroExplorer Brain Imaging
The hospital became the first in the world to clinically use the NeuroExplorer high-resolution PET scanner on patients. The ongoing trial evaluates its ability to provide additional diagnostic information in neurological and oncological conditions.
Advanced Cell Therapy Facility
UZ Leuven and KU Leuven committed €14 million to an on-campus facility for advanced therapy medicinal products. The facility is designed to enable production of personalized and gene therapies for individual patients.
Diagnostic Imaging Scale
The hospital performed 392,895 radiology examinations in 2024, averaging 1,073 per day. Nuclear medicine recorded another 17,733 examinations, with PET accounting for 51%.
Laboratory Capacity
The hospital processed 15,758,809 laboratory tests in 2024, averaging 43,057 tests per day. This corresponds to approximately 1,794 laboratory tests every hour across UZ Leuven's clinical activity.
European First Robotic Breast Reconstruction
The team here introduced robot-assisted breast reconstruction using the patient's own abdominal tissue and developed a technique using a single umbilical incision to harvest the required vessels while limiting abdominal muscle damage. It was reported as the only European hospital using the procedure at that time.
Clinical Research Pipeline
University Hospital Leuven notified 910 new clinical studies to its Clinical Trial Center in 2024: 279 commercial studies, 488 academic studies and 143 studies involving human body material.
Surgical Safety Results
For patients undergoing surgery, reported 30-day postoperative mortality decreased from 0.7% to 0.4%, and 90-day mortality decreased from 1% to 0.4% during the period reviewed by the hospital's colorectal surgery team.
About the clinic
University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) is a large academic hospital group in Belgium. It is linked to KU Leuven, one of Europe’s leading universities. The hospital operates across several campuses in and around Leuven, including Gasthuisberg, Pellenberg, and Sint-Rafaël. Together, these sites form one integrated university hospital with shared medical staff, training programs, and research activity. UZ Leuven is the largest hospital group in the country. It has a very high number of inpatients, day patients, and outpatients each year. Patients come from the Leuven region, from across Belgium, and from abroad. Many are referred for complex conditions or specialized procedures that require advanced expertise and equipment. The hospital covers almost all medical and surgical specialties. It offers adult and pediatric care, acute and chronic care, intensive care, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up. Emergency and trauma services, large surgical blocks, organ transplantation, complex oncological treatments, cardiovascular procedures, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, maternal and neonatal care, and many other fields are represented. Some units act as national or international reference centers for specific diseases or technologies. All campuses are closely integrated with KU Leuven’s faculties of medicine and health sciences. Medical students, residents, and fellows in many disciplines receive their clinical training there. The same applies to nurses, midwives, and other health professionals. Teaching is embedded in daily clinical practice and is supported by simulation facilities, skills labs, and structured educational programs. Research is a central mission of University Hospital Leuven. Hospital departments work with university research groups in medicine, biomedical sciences, engineering, and related fields. There is a strong focus on translational and clinical research, innovation in diagnostics and treatment, and participation in international clinical trials. New drugs, devices, and care pathways are developed and tested in collaboration with academic and industry partners. This helps bring scientific progress to patients rapidly and safely. The physical infrastructure is spread across several campuses with different profiles. Gasthuisberg hosts the most acute and highly specialized services. Pellenberg has a strong focus on rehabilitation, orthopedics, and musculoskeletal care. Sint-Rafaël and other facilities provide additional specialized units and outpatient services within the city. The hospital group continuously invests in renovations and new buildings, modern operating rooms, intensive care units, and diagnostic facilities, as well as in digital systems and electronic records to support care and research. Several features are seen as particular strengths of UZ Leuven. It combines comprehensive general hospital care with highly specialized tertiary referral services. It works with multidisciplinary teams that include different medical specialties, nurses, therapists, psychologists, and other professionals. Care pathways are organized around patient needs and complex diseases rather than single departments. Quality and patient safety are actively monitored through structured programs and external accreditation. The academic setting helps to attract experienced staff and supports a culture of continuous learning and innovation. University Hospital Leuven focuses on high-quality, complex, and multidisciplinary patient care across all its campuses. It aims to integrate clinical work, scientific research, and education into a single system. The hospital functions as a regional provider of care, a national and international reference center for many conditions, and a training ground for future generations of healthcare professionals.
Total hip replacement explanation from the surgeon
2025-12-10T14:07:04.000Z
Total hip replacement explanation from the surgeon
Total hay prosthesis and occupational therapy
2025-12-10T14:06:47.000Z
Total hay prosthesis and occupational therapy
Total hip replacement: the social worker explains
2025-12-10T14:06:16.000Z
Total hip replacement: the social worker explains
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2025-12-10T12:52:58.000Z
2025-12-10T12:52:58.000Z
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New operating theatre
2025-12-10T14:08:39.000Z
New operating theatre
Cleaning in UZ Leuven
2025-12-10T14:08:06.000Z
Cleaning in UZ Leuven
Frontier crossers
2025-12-10T14:07:28.000Z
Frontier crossers
Total hip replacement explanation from the surgeon
2025-12-10T14:07:04.000Z
Total hip replacement explanation from the surgeon
Total hay prosthesis and occupational therapy
2025-12-10T14:06:47.000Z
Total hay prosthesis and occupational therapy
Total hip replacement: the social worker explains
2025-12-10T14:06:16.000Z
Total hip replacement: the social worker explains
Extra services
Parking Space
24/7 medical assistance
Intensive Care Unit
On-Site Pharmacy
Cafeteria
Kids' Play Zone
ATM / Banking
Accessibility Features
Support Groups
Digital Health Records
Location
Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
FAQ
What are the advantages for patients of being treated in a university hospital?
Patients benefit from access to a broad range of specialists, experience with rare and complex conditions, and modern diagnostic and treatment techniques. They may also have access to new therapies through research. Cases are often discussed in teams, which can lead to comprehensive decision-making.
What is the primary focus as a hospital group?
The primary focus is to provide high-quality, multidisciplinary care for both standard and complex conditions, while linking daily clinical work with scientific research and education. The hospital aims to offer safe, evidence-based treatment and to involve patients as partners in decisions about their care.
Which specialized in-utero surgical interventions are available?
The fetal care unit performs fetoscopic endotracheal balloon occlusion (FETO) to treat severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia, as well as prenatal surgical repair for fetal spina bifida.
How does the genetics center evaluate complex hematologic malignancies?
The human genetics center utilizes Optical Genome Mapping to detect high-resolution structural genomic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia.
What is the rating of the clinic?
University Hospital Leuven is rated as 9.70 by AiroMedical.
What do patients say about University Hospital Leuven?
The clinic has 786 feedbacks at other places. The UserScore of the hospital is 89%.
What is the overall experience of the facility?
University Hospital Leuven has been operating since 1975. It has accumulated over 51 years of clinical background.
Where can I see the hospital's work, interior space, and exterior?
