Top Medical Experts in Conversation: The Most Important Developments from 7 Specialties

What is really driving medicine right now – beyond the hype and glossy promises? We asked seven PMC doctors which developments in their disciplines are currently bringing about real change. The answers are surprisingly concrete: An eye surgeon from Düsseldorf who frees patients from reading glasses in ten seconds.

A Munich visceral surgeon who operates with robotic precision that surpasses human hands. Neurologists who are using antibodies against Alzheimer’s for the first time. And dentists who no longer only treat teeth. These insights show: Medicine is changing faster than expected – and progress is often already available today.

Laser eye surgery against presbyopia: What is now possible

Dr. Detlev R. H. Breyer, Eye Surgery Clinic Breyer, Kaymak & Klabe and Eye Laser Center Premium Eyes in Düsseldorf

The most exciting development at the moment is in the correction of presbyopia: that we can free people from reading glasses and progressive lenses, thereby significantly improving their quality of life. If the human lens is still clear, there is currently nothing better than PresbyEDOF laser eye surgery, which I helped to further develop.

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Laser surgery: Happy without glasses or contact lenses

The internationally renowned eye specialist Dr. Detlev Breyer explains how he significantly improves the quality of life for his patients through lens and laser surgery. All about procedures & risks

It only takes ten seconds, is painless, and safer than wearing contact lenses. If the lens is already clouded due to a beginning cataract, I use the new 'Galaxy' multifocal lens from Rayner. Unlike conventional lenses, it causes significantly less glare and does not lead to any loss of light, so you can see well even in poor lighting conditions.

Operating with robotic precision: How Da Vinci redefines abdominal surgery

Prof. Dr. Franz Bader, Medical Director of the Clinic for General, Visceral and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Isar Klinikum in Munich

Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized the surgical treatment of benign and malignant diseases in the abdominal cavity over the past 20 years. However, the development of classical laparoscopy, in my opinion, is more or less complete and has reached its limits.

Podcast: Preventing Colon Cancer with Dr. Berndt Birkner and Prof. Dr. Franz Bader

"Feel good, live better" – the health podcast from Premium Quarterly. In this episode, Dr. Berndt Birkner and Prof. Dr. Franz Bader explain who is particularly at risk and how to protect oneself from colon cancer.

What has once again significantly advanced minimally invasive surgery is the use of robot-assisted procedures. For example, with the Da Vinci system, minimally invasive surgery is being redefined with the highest precision, optimized visualization, and new instruments that achieve the degrees of freedom of the human hand.

Younger without a scalpel: Regenerative aesthetics with exosomes, PRP and stem cells

Dr. Elisabeth Zott, Dermatology Practice, Munich

Lately, I have been intensely involved with so-called regenerative aesthetic medicine. After decades with fillers, Botox, and lasers in all variants, there are now numerous new possibilities. Regenerative aesthetic medicine is not exactly the same as biostimulation but overlaps. Regenerative medicine is about repairing, restoring, revitalizing, and sustainably rejuvenating the skin structure at the cellular level – both visually and functionally.

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Anti-aging wonder weapons? Biostimulators!

The trend in aesthetic medicine has been emerging for some time: content creator Juliane Diesner (@styleshiver) has tested the alternatives to fillers.

This also includes repairing cell damage. Typical procedures for this are exosomes, PRP and PRF, polynucleotides, stem cell-based therapies, microfat and nanofat, needling with growth factors and exosomes. Structural improvement of connective tissue cells at the cellular level results in long-term effects.

Breakthrough in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: Antibody therapies are changing neurology

Prof. Dr. Stefan Lorenzl, Chief Physician of the Neurology Department at Agatharied Hospital at Schliersee

In neurology, new medications will enter the market in the coming years, potentially changing therapeutic options. Already in 2014, we had the opportunity in Agatharied to conduct an antibody therapy with a patient with an atypical Parkinson's syndrome.

This was truly the first patient treated in Europe, and I was very moved that we could play such a central role in this development. And this development is now advancing rapidly, including with antibodies used to treat Alzheimer's disease. In the meantime, at least two antibodies have been established for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and more will come. I am very confident about that.

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Back, joints, movement: How digital apps are revolutionizing orthopedic therapy

Dr. Yvonne Ebel, Medical Director and Owner Orthopedics Wernau

The trend is increasingly towards digital health applications (DiGA) that can also be prescribed and reimbursed – training and movement everywhere and at any time, via app and smartphone. This creates a routine, and you can train anywhere, independent of location and time. Additionally, you always have a good overview of training progress and symptom progression – successes are thus measurable.

Own fat instead of fillers: The natural fountain of youth from your own body cell

Dr. Peter Neumann & Dr. Daniel Thome, Aesthetic and Soul, Munich

One could say that the journey leads to the fountain of youth cocktail via injection, for example through the advancement of autologous fat therapy, where fat is sucked out and after cleaning and processing, injected again as a filler. This treatment simultaneously has a demonstrably regenerative effect on the tissue and thus also works as an anti-aging method – especially when using nano fat and exosomes.

More than teeth: How modern dentistry affects sleep, metabolism, and posture

Dr. Mark T. Sebastian, Dentist at Praxis Max36, Munich

The trend in modern dentistry clearly moves away from mere "repair medicine" towards holism. We no longer view teeth and the oral cavity in isolation but want to know what impact they have on the health, performance, and quality of life of our patients. Some of the most important developments:

1. Sleep medicine & airway analysis: Chronic mouth breathing and incorrect tongue posture are widespread and often lead to a reduction of the oral cavity and snoring. However, breathing and perfect oxygen exchange are crucial for the body's regeneration. Through close cooperation with sleep physicians, speech therapists, and ENT doctors, we can develop sustainable therapies here.
2. Periodontitis and general health: Today we better understand that highly inflammatory gum diseases are strongly linked to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and other degenerative processes in the body. A healthy lifestyle and dietary supplements can successfully support the therapy. Here we increasingly cooperate with internists, diabetologists, and nutritional medicine specialists.
3. CMD (Craniomandibular Dysfunction): More and more patients suffer from neck, shoulder, and headaches due to TMJ dysfunction. With the help of functional splints, dental prosthetics, and close collaboration with osteopaths, orthopedists, physiotherapists, and speech therapists, we achieve very good results – up to performance enhancement in professional sports.