Senior surgeon at the Service de Chirurgie, HFR Fribourg – Cantonal Hospital, CH-1708 Fribourg; NEC-research group leader at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland

Research Interests

Epidemiology and pathophysiology (without animal models) of NEC; prevention and early recognition of NEC; surgical techniques and outcome after surgical NEC

Current Projects

Analysis of NEC in patients with CHD as compared to 1. patients with NEC without CHD, 2. patients with CHD without NEC

Building up a Swiss-NEC registry

Recent Publications

Kessler U, Schulte F, Cholewa D, Nelle M, Schaefer S, Klimek P, Berger S. Outcome in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis and patent ductus arteriosus. World J Pediatr. 2016 Feb;12(1):55-9.

Schlapbach LJ, Thiel S, Kessler U, Ammann RA, Aebi C, Jensenius JC. Congenital H-ficolin deficiency in premature infants with severe necrotising enterocolitis. Gut. 2011 Oct;60(10):1438-9.

Schlapbach LJ, Ahrens O, Klimek P, Berger S, Kessler U. Clostridium perfringens and necrotizing enterocolitis. Letter to the editor. J Pediatr. 2010 Jul;157(1):175.

Schlapbach LJ Kessler U Thiel S Hansen AG Nelle M Ammann RA Aebi C Jensenius JC. M-ficolin in the neonatal period: Associations with need for mechanical ventilation and mortality in premature infants with necrotising enterocolitis. Molecular Immunology 2009 Aug;46(13):2597-603.

M. Treichel, K. Schwendener Scholl, U. Kessler*, A. Joeris, M. Nelle. Is there a correlation between Venlafaxine (Efexor®) therapy during pregnancy and a higher incidence for necrotizing enterocolitis? World Journal of Pediatrics 2009; 5(1), 65- 67. (*Corresponding author)

Schlapbach LJ, Aebi C, Fisch U, Ammann RA, Otth M, Bigler S, Nelle M, Berger S, Kessler U. Higher Cord Blood Levels of Mannose-Binding Lectin-Associated Serine Protease-2 in Infants with Necrotising Enterocolitis. Pediatric Research 2008; 64 (5): 562-6.

Kessler U, Mungnirandr A, Nelle M, Nimmo AF, Zachariou Z, Berger S. A simple presurgical NEC- mortality scoring system. J Perinatol 2006;26(12):764-8