Karl Storz Adds Department, Unveils New Endoscope at Medica

Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG bills itself as a “one-stop supplier” of medical instruments and devices. During Medica 2011 World Forum for Medicine, the German company also became a one-stop supplier of news, announcing the formation of a new orthopedic department and releasing its latest line of endoscope.

The new RECON department at Karl Storz will focus on the reconstruction of joint and bone defects using autologous material, or bone harvested from the patient’s own body (often from the iliac crest, the superolateral margin of the pelvis). Generally, doctors use non-essential bones for grafts (the calf, rib and even parts of the skull), though in oral and maxillofacial surgery, the material can be harvested from the mandibular symphysis (chin area) or anterior mandibular ramus (the mandible’s coronoid process). The European market for these bone grafts—and orthopedic biomaterials in general—is expected to reach 1 billion euros by 2017, with hyaluronic acid and viscosupplementation as the largest segment, according to international market research and consulting group iData Research Inc.

In addition to announcing the creation of its RECON department, Karl Storz debuted its latest endoscopic product, the Silver Scope. The device features an ergonomically shaped control unit that gives doctors better control over the scope and helps to reduce fatigue. It also is equipped with the company’s SPIES (Storz Professional Image Enhancement System) technology, which enables physicians to better identify important details and structures inside the body by modifying color contrast.

In addition to its newest endoscope, Tuttlingen, Germany-based Karl Storz also displayed a 3D system it launched in May. The product consists of a 0-degree video laparoscope with two distal sensors for optimal stereoscopic high-definition images. The 3D system also features DVI-D output for direct 1080 p. 50/60 Hz transmission to the three-dimensional monitor.