Juergen Toft
Encyclopedia
Prof. Dr. Juergen Toft is a world-renowned knee specialist surgeon practising in Munich
, Germany
and a Professor at the University of Milan
in Milan
, Italy
.
where he grew up as the only child of Herbert Toft and Erna Toft. He studied medicine at Humboldt University of Berlin
from 1965 to 1971. From 1971 to 1972 he served as an assistant researcher at the Berlin Institute of Industrial Medicine.
In 1972 he escaped to West Germany
where he started his postgraduate training as an Orthopedic surgery
at Biberach an der Riß
. Following further training in Tailfingen and Ratingen
, as well as in the U.S. (ECFMG in 1975), he obtained board certification as an orthopedic surgeon in 1976. In the same year he completed his doctoral thesis at the Saarland University
and accepted a post as an orthopedic consultant at the municipal hospital
of Ingolstadt
. In 1980 he moved to North Rhine-Westphalia
where he joined the medical team of the Fabricius Klinik in Remscheid
, Germany's largest orthopedic hospital run by consultants, specialising in arthroscopic knee surgery and becoming one of the pioneers in Germany.
When he founded Germany's first outpatient knee surgery
center in Munich in 1984, he had 600 patients on his waiting list in Remscheid scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery. In 1989 he recruited the Dutch spine
specialist, Dr. Thomas Hoogland, to join him and in 2000 another spine surgeon, Horst Dekkers, joined what had now expanded and been renamed in 1997 as the Alpha Klinik. After gaining international recognition with 50,000 surgical patients from 70 countries, the Alpha Klinik was brought down by media coverage on one of its spine surgeons, Horst Dekkers, who was faced with charges of malpractice
. These media reports created the impression that the entire Alpha Klinik was under accusation, although neither Dr. Hoogland nor Prof. Toft had anything to do with that affair. After Drs. Dekker's dismissal and patients being scared away from Alpha Klinik, it was impossible for the remaining two surgeons to keep the hospital going and on August 1, 2008, insolvency
was declared and the institution taken over by another hospital, in spite of its excellent reputation at home and abroad.
As a consequence of these events, Toft founded his own Knee Center in the summer of 2008, known as Professor Toft Knee Center. He now serves as a consultant knee surgeon at the Starmed Klinik, a nearby and very modern private hospital.
Prof. Toft has made his name in two areas. The first is the arthroscopic replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) which he was first to perform in Europe in 1983, thus instituting a revolution in cruciate ligament surgery.
The other highlight in his work is abrasion arthroplasty, a technique introduced by his teacher, Professor Lanny L. Johnson of the Michigan State University
in Lansing, which Prof. Toft has developed into a very useful tool for "regeneration" of severely arthritic knee joints in order to prevent knee replacement
surgery. In recognition of these developments Prof. Toft was offered a professorship at the University of Milan in 2005. Together with Prof. Walter Pascale of the University of Milan, Prof. Toft founded the International Association for Biologic Joint Reconstruction in Munich in October 2006.
In Germany Prof. Toft has become known through numerous television interviews as well as newspaper and magazine articles. In 2003 TIME magazine highlighted his abrasion technique as the new hope for arthritis patients. His patients include world-famous personalities from the realms of politics, sports and business.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and a Professor at the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Biography
Toft was born on 4 May 1943 in East BerlinEast Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
where he grew up as the only child of Herbert Toft and Erna Toft. He studied medicine at Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
from 1965 to 1971. From 1971 to 1972 he served as an assistant researcher at the Berlin Institute of Industrial Medicine.
In 1972 he escaped to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
where he started his postgraduate training as an Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
at Biberach an der Riß
Biberach an der Riß
Biberach is a town in the south of Germany. It is the capital of Biberach district, in the Upper Swabia region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg...
. Following further training in Tailfingen and Ratingen
Ratingen
Ratingen is a town in the district of Mettmann, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the northwestern part of Berg - about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf...
, as well as in the U.S. (ECFMG in 1975), he obtained board certification as an orthopedic surgeon in 1976. In the same year he completed his doctoral thesis at the Saarland University
Saarland University
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
and accepted a post as an orthopedic consultant at the municipal hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
of Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
. In 1980 he moved to North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
where he joined the medical team of the Fabricius Klinik in Remscheid
Remscheid
Remscheid is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on south side of the Ruhr area....
, Germany's largest orthopedic hospital run by consultants, specialising in arthroscopic knee surgery and becoming one of the pioneers in Germany.
When he founded Germany's first outpatient knee surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
center in Munich in 1984, he had 600 patients on his waiting list in Remscheid scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery. In 1989 he recruited the Dutch spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
specialist, Dr. Thomas Hoogland, to join him and in 2000 another spine surgeon, Horst Dekkers, joined what had now expanded and been renamed in 1997 as the Alpha Klinik. After gaining international recognition with 50,000 surgical patients from 70 countries, the Alpha Klinik was brought down by media coverage on one of its spine surgeons, Horst Dekkers, who was faced with charges of malpractice
Malpractice
In law, malpractice is a type of negligence in, which the professional under a duty to act, fails to follow generally accepted professional standards, and that breach of duty is the proximate cause of injury to a plaintiff who suffers harm...
. These media reports created the impression that the entire Alpha Klinik was under accusation, although neither Dr. Hoogland nor Prof. Toft had anything to do with that affair. After Drs. Dekker's dismissal and patients being scared away from Alpha Klinik, it was impossible for the remaining two surgeons to keep the hospital going and on August 1, 2008, insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
was declared and the institution taken over by another hospital, in spite of its excellent reputation at home and abroad.
As a consequence of these events, Toft founded his own Knee Center in the summer of 2008, known as Professor Toft Knee Center. He now serves as a consultant knee surgeon at the Starmed Klinik, a nearby and very modern private hospital.
Prof. Toft has made his name in two areas. The first is the arthroscopic replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL) which he was first to perform in Europe in 1983, thus instituting a revolution in cruciate ligament surgery.
The other highlight in his work is abrasion arthroplasty, a technique introduced by his teacher, Professor Lanny L. Johnson of the Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in Lansing, which Prof. Toft has developed into a very useful tool for "regeneration" of severely arthritic knee joints in order to prevent knee replacement
Knee replacement
Knee replacement, or knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve the pain and disability of osteoarthritis. It may be performed for other knee diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis...
surgery. In recognition of these developments Prof. Toft was offered a professorship at the University of Milan in 2005. Together with Prof. Walter Pascale of the University of Milan, Prof. Toft founded the International Association for Biologic Joint Reconstruction in Munich in October 2006.
In Germany Prof. Toft has become known through numerous television interviews as well as newspaper and magazine articles. In 2003 TIME magazine highlighted his abrasion technique as the new hope for arthritis patients. His patients include world-famous personalities from the realms of politics, sports and business.