If you are considering ONZ for surgery, please please reconsider. Everything about our experience has been a nightmare. My husband is almost 3 years post surgery and regrets his decision to go there every single day. Once they have your money, you are just a number and they don't care. No follow up other than sending X-rays and they tell you the hardware is still in place. The hospital stay and rehab was beyond words awful. Nothing good to say about this place. read more

Yikes - sounds like a couple of patients needed a psychiatrist instead of a spine surgeon...

I urge everyone considering this to keep looking. ADR has great efficacy but ONZ Germans are not the people to get it from. I travelled there this year, 2022, for lumbar ADR, and it was an absolute disaster. I knew straight away, as soon as I stepped off the plane, it wasn't right. I had the feeling that I should book a ticket home right there, but I chocked it up to nerves; it wasn't. It was intuition. The hospital that I was placed in was absolutely grotesque. The rooms, most specifically the bathrooms, were filled with mold. There is complete lack of cleanliness, but I think that this is German thing as opposed to a hospital thing. Everywhere one looks there's trash, drugs, booze, graffiti, etc., all around the country; some places don't have hand soap. The nurses were hit and miss with providing adequate care. I became very ill after surgery and was provided nothing until a doctor at Medicos looked at me and rushed me in for care and meds at the facility. By the time he got to me, which was my second day there, I had an ongoing fever, couldn't talk, could barely breathe and was coughing up massive chunks of green phlegm. As a result of the hospital's malpractice I was not able to get any rehab because I was too sick and weak to do so. Also, the doctors there were concerned that if the infection was left and became systemic, the implant would fail and I'd be in a whole other mess. Trying to speak to the ONZ allopaths about this is like speaking to a brick wall. They don't care. Bierstedt basically ushered me out of his office as quickly as possible and told me I was fine. The hospital was less than forthcoming and when I went back for imaging, I had had enough. Suzanne, bless her little cotton socks, tried to yell at me. Absolutely not. She's not a nurse, she's an assistant allopath and a poor one at that. She allows the nurses to smoke in the hospital, both in the nurses station and in closets. You can scream blue murder, your head could literally fall off, and they'd tell you that you're fine. They have no intention to provide adequate care and they're banking on your ignorance to be able to carry out the malfeasance. The less they provide you the more money they keep, and they're trying to keep every penny. The physio's were amazing, especially Amir, as was the osteopath. Also, know you're being listened to and watched and if you and other patients start speaking of issues, you will be broken up and encouraged not to speak to each other for whatever bogus reason or another. Before you go, if you go, become intimately familiar with the German Civil Code, specifically section 630. Hire both a North American AND a German medical malpractice lawyer; have them work in tandem. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without their consultation. Have them copied on everything, and it's worth the money to have them present often, especially for key conversations. Document literally everything because medical documentation is fast and loose here and lots of falsification happens. I watched a woman vomit for two days straight, offered nothing when she asked for help, had to contact her overseas liaison and then be told she was lying. I have been in contact since, nothing was documented. I've had several international surgeries and this was, by far, the worst. I'm still in contact with American surgeons for a surgery I had three years ago. They still check up. I can't even get in contact with these people to answer basic questions, like why they left debris in my incision. (Which, after several months, is still open because more stuff keeps coming out of it). The overseas liaisons they have working for them will tell you if you ask, adamantly, that they're NOT employed by the ONZ. This is not because they're volunteers, it's because what the ONZ is doing, international solicitation, is highly illegal as they're not licensed outside of Germany and they know the risk is on you if you choose to go. They just have to get you there to get the money. That's all. They're incredibly attentive to get you there, and it's all rushed so you don't have time to think, and it changes dramatically once in Germany. Lots of fast talk, lots of superfluous paper work, all to confuse you, both in Germany and in North America. Get a lawyer and utilize them, frequently. There are PLENTY of other surgeons in the world that do this, and they do so attentively without risking lives and committing malpractice. A friend has ADR in Saudi, it went well and he's leaps and bounds ahead of my recovery. American, Greek and French doctors also do the same thing, though I cannot speak to their efficacy. If you do this, please, PLEASE be cautious, bring someone with you, and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. read more

* I had a 2-level cervical Artificial Disc Replacement and 2-level lumbar ADR both in May 2020, one week apart. * Dr Illerhaus was on vacation the entire time and during our first appointment he was so distracted and angry at someone on the phone that I was just a distraction he needed to get out of his hair so he could attend whatever the other matter was. I left this meeting confused and concerned. * Most nurses were nice but three of them absolutely evil withholding pain meds and cutting my pain meds off after both surgeries against the anesthesiologists orders * Doctor brought up politics * Scars are horrible looking - wish I could upload pics bc the stomach scar is especially dark and over half an inch wide in some areas. The neck scar is thick and dark and both scars need revision which is expensive and not covered through insurance - I kept them out of the sun. My other surgery scars are almost non-existent and have no color at all. * Needed additional surgery to fix a bilateral inguinal hernia aka testicular hernia caused by being rough when they did the lumbar surgery - I told them about it while I was there and they ignored me * Malte Petersen is more of a Mob Boss than a CEO of a neurosurgery clinic. He ignored my complaints about the evil nurses that cut off my pain meds after both surgeries and blamed it on me. * They accepted my insurance but billed me instead and told me I had to pay $70,000 until I forced them to bill my insurance like they had promised to do * I emailed Malte 2-weeks ago regarding a recent MRI and he has not replied * I was nothing but nice and trusted them to provide the best care possible and it was a nightmare * Stuck in hospital for three weeks dealing with these evil nurses bc hotels were closed due to covid * Kept me in the dark about aftercare for both surgeries claiming that those instructions must come from the surgeon himself but he was on vacation and could not be reached. * When I woke from the lumbar surgery I could not move my legs and this was extremely scary. The nurse that was wheeling me down the hall did not speak English and could not explain that this was a side effect of having an epidural. The entire experience was cruel. Beware! * I recommend to others that have written reviews to use a VPN to post your reviews in Canada, the EU, Australia and Thailand. read more

Not all the cases are fortunate and those cases even if they are only a few need to be addressed as well. My experience with M6-L, Dr. Bierstedt, ONZ, Malte Petersen and Spine Connection were disastrous. Now I will be having a Revision surgery probably in four weeks, out of pocket expense, as they robbed me $40,000 for and ADR that was a contraindication. They didn't do their due diligence and failed to diagnose the condition of my Spine. Jake from Spine connection was very quick to say that my concerns were not urgent and that I was safe. How it is not urgent when I am experiencing pain and limitations? How am I safe if I will have to go back to the Operating Table for a very risky revision surgery? And the worst of all them was Malte Petersen the ONZ's director for International Patients, who rudely, unprofessionally and utterly unethical threatened me of stopping care and called my concerns an "speculative worry?. Dr. Bierstedt gave me a botched surgery that is disrupting my life already and it will continue to do so while I am in recovery after the revision surgery. I am a patient who paid for premium care and what I got is negligence and malpractice, typically the kind of service of an assembly line surgery shop. They have not offered a solution, they are not worried or being supportive at all. Doctor Bierstedt might have done miracles for other fellow patients and I respect that and I am glad for my fellow patients, but doing that doesn't entitle him to give me a botched surgery and having a careless attitude towards me and the bad outcome I am having. It is great to celebrate great outcomes, but it also their duty to address and give resolution to those cases with a bad outcome. It is just a matter of principles, consideration and also the obligation to render services that were paid for. They told me they "got my Back" and indeed they got it, to the point of ruin it through a BOTCHED surgery. All this is evidence based, I got expert opinions that have done a comprehensive evaluation of my case; I am not trying to take advantage of anybody or to deface Dr. Bierstedt reputation, I am just telling my truth. I certainly would have expected more from a Dr. of such reputation. He is just denying everything, even with the evidence saying that ADR was a contraindication, and he is quickly sending his attack dog Malte Petersen, to threaten me and insult and minimize my concerns. Who is Malte Petersen to say that a patient condition is not urgent? What are his qualifications to say that my concerns are speculative worries? Be aware of ONZ because if anything goes wrong they might just do nothing at all to help and support, but they will be very quick to threaten and insult. I had to give them one star as yelp doesn't allow me to post without. They don't deserve a single star. read more

In the summer of 2016 I traveled to Europe for a three level disc replacement and was operated on by Dr. Bernd Illerhaus at the Evangelisches Krankenhaus in Hattingen, Germany. After five years of suffering from a neck injury I was desperate for an effective treatment. The surgery was successful for the neck injury but created other complications. When I woke from anesthesia I was surprised to find that I could not lift my right arm. I had been warned that my arms would be traction down during the procedure and was told they would be "sore afterwards". My left shoulder was "sore". The right side was much more painful and could barely move. When I reported this to the chief of surgery, Dr. Helfried Waleczek, he angrily accused me of having a preexisting injury. My surgeon, Dr. Illerhaus, made light of the complaint, saying that it was minor nerve damage and that it would be about six weeks before I would regain mobility. He suggested that I have physical therapy upon my return home. I had extensive physical therapy and eventually was able to raise my arm but never regained full mobility and was in a lot of pain, unable to resume athletic activities. At three and six month intervals I sent in the requisite X-rays and medical reports describing my condition to Dr. Illerhaus. My patient advocate, Ken Hiebert, had assured me that I would be replied to with reports of my condition but those never came. After two years of shoulder pain I finally went to a surgeon and was told that the shoulder injury was much worse than I'd been led to believe. I had a torn tendon and a badly damaged ligament that both had to be removed. The condition had created a great deal of cartilage damage and arthritis. While under traction during the spinal surgery my arm had been struck or wrenched hard enough to cause this injury. It is very disturbing to know that while helpless under anesthesia I was manhandled severely enough to cause this. The spinal surgery has given me a great deal of relief and I will always be grateful to Dr. Illerhaus for this. But I am deeply disappointed in the lack of responsibility taken for the shoulder damage. If this had happened in the US the OR staff would have been held accountable. Instead, I am out thousands dollars for physical therapy and further surgery. It does not seem right that Dr. Illerhaus and My Spinal Solution have not acknowledged their responsibility in this matter. This review is probably the only accountability that they will ever have. At the very least, I hope that they make damn sure that this does not happen to anyone else. read more