Dr. Bernd Illerhaus

• Medical Studies: Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany (Studied 1993–1999)
• Medical License (Approbation): Received October 1999
• Medical Doctorate (MD): Awarded mid-2001
• Neurosurgical Training: Completed neurosurgical residency training at the Neurosurgical University Hospital Bochum Langendreer.
• Specialist Certification: Passed specialist examination in neurosurgery at the end of 2005; practiced as a neurosurgical specialist there until 2007.
• Senior Physician Appointments: Former Senior Physician at the neurosurgical clinic of the Dortmund Municipal Clinics (2007–2010), advancing to Senior Physician and Deputy Clinic Director at their interdisciplinary spine center before joining ONZ in 2010.
• Clinical Registry: View Dr. Illerhaus’s Profile on the Official ONZ Website

• German Society for Spine Surgery: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Wirbelsäulenchirurgie (DWG)
• EuroSpine: The Spine Society of Europe
• AO Spine Europe: AO Foundation Spine Section

• Surgical Volume: Personally performed over 6,500+ successful artificial disc implantations. He performs about 300-400 spinal interventions of varying degrees of difficulty each year, with a primary focus on endoscopic spine surgery and motion-preserving disc replacement.
• Industry Advisor: Served as an international reference surgeon, consultant, and co-developer of various implants and instruments for manufacturers.
• Medical Educator: Regularly conducts hands-on surgery courses, hospitations for visiting physicians, and training workshops for European surgeons learning Cervical and Lumbar Disc Replacement.
• International Speaker: Appears regularly as a speaker for various surgical techniques at national and international symposia and congresses.
• Co-Author of Clinical Research: With Prof. Dr. Albrecht Harders and Dr. Martin Scholz at the Ruhr University Bochum department of neurosurgery, specifically tracking surgical advancements, intraoperative diagnostics, and vascular/neurological complications (e.g., Clinical Neuroradiology).

His Surgical Philosophy:
“A patient’s next spine surgery should be their last spine surgery.”

Customized Implant Selection: As a specialist dedicated to motion-preserving spine care, Dr. Illerhaus maintains a sterile inventory room right next to the operating theatre, stocked with 4 different models of lumbar discs and 5 different models of cervical discs.

Precision Anatomy Matching: This extensive inventory of hundreds of sizing options covers all variations of height, curvature, and anchoring. Having immediate access to these options allows Dr. Illerhaus to perform real-time sizing during surgery, ensuring the selected implant perfectly matches each patient’s unique anatomy. Disc replacement is never a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution.

Dr. Bernd Illerhaus is one of Germany’s leading motion-preserving spine surgeons. His core areas of expertise include:

• Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR): Motion-preserving interventions in both the lumbar and cervical spine, including Cervical and Lumbar Disc Replacement. Patients can explore our advanced Disc Replacement solutions to see how these motion-preservation techniques protect overall mobility.
• Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD): Providing advanced, tissue-sparing treatments for progressive degenerative disc disease to relieve chronic pain and restore the spine’s natural height.
• Minimally Invasive Lumbar Fusion (MIS PLIF): Advanced spinal fusion performed through two tiny side incisions. Using a specialized cross-over technique, Dr. Illerhaus treats both sides of the spinal canal from a single approach. This completely protects the stabilizing back muscles from being interfered with, drastically reducing internal scarring, accelerating recovery, and minimizing the risk of adjacent segment disease.
• Lumbar Facet Replacement / Dynamic Stabilization: Advanced mobility-retaining solutions for the lumbar spine.
• Anterior Approach Interventions: Abdominal Spine Surgery accessing the lower back gently from the front or side rather than cutting through heavy back muscles, allowing for a faster recovery.
• Endoscopic Decompression: Ultra-minimally invasive transforaminal endoscopic decompression utilizing the advanced joimax® TESSYS® method to treat herniated discs and spinal stenosis through natural anatomical pathways.