KARLSRUHE, Germany – (BUSINESS WIRE) – joimax^® is continuing its year-over-year double digit growth. Over the past 9 months, joimax^® has grown more than 25% globally and in the United States alone, more than 35%. Among this major spurt, the market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery is launching a new endoscopic surgical system, TESSYS^® TransSAP.

“This allows for more extensive foraminal decompression and provides an optimal basis for transforaminal endoscopic fusion”

The company attributes strong growth to their popular workshop and educational program, which is now offered worldwide under the ESPINEA^® training academy. To keep momentum, joimax^® is releasing the TESSYS^® TransSAP — the fourth addition to the TESSYS^® family encompassing the standard TESSYS^® Std, TESSYS^® XT featuring longer reach instruments, and TESSYS^® Thx, the optimized version for the thoracic spine.

The system is based on the proven TESSYS^® method introduced in 2004. Since then, the technology has been enhanced and can be used for more complex indications, widening the spectrum of disease and vertebral level applications.

“The TransSAP method follows an adopted access path to the spine, directly targeting the Superior Articulating Process,” says Dr. Christoph Hofstetter, associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington. “This allows for more extensive foraminal decompression and provides an optimal basis for transforaminal endoscopic fusion,” adds Dr. Ralf Wagner, a longstanding joimax^® ESPINEA^® Faculty orthopedic surgeon based in Frankfurt.

In addition, joimax^® provides a series of implants for fusion indications, such as the percutaneous pedicle screw system, Percusys^® Plus, and a family of 3D-printed titanium cages within the EndoLIF^® program. The EndoLIF^® suite of products consists of the static implants O/On-Cage, Delta-Cage and DoubleWedge-Cage. “There are plans to add a new fully-expandable cage, as well as a navigated solution for endoscopic disc preparation and implant positioning to provide a full endoscopic assisted fusion platform,” says Wolfgang Ries, CEO and founder of joimax^®.

All joimax^® implants can be safely inserted using the “Over-the-Wire” technique for precise implantation, making them ideal for endoscopically-assisted fusion procedures established and protected by joimax^®.

These new products have been exhibited at the following trade shows: SMISS in Las Vegas, CNS in San Francisco, and NASS in Chicago, and will be featured at EUROSPINE in Milan and at the German Spine Congress, DWG, in Berlin later this year.

Karlsruhe (GER) — German-based joimax^®, the market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, is excited to announce a major spike in attendance at its Endoscopic Spine Academy (ESPINEA^®) workshops, which contributes to sustainable growth after another year of record revenues in 2021.

The growing interest can be attributed to increased coverage in literature and publications as cited on PubMed^®. Moreover, the joimax^®-initiated workshop program, now under the umbrella of ESPINEA^®, offers optimal training for a variety of applications and procedures, making it attractive to a broader audience. 

joimax^® established ESPINEA^® three years ago. In Fall 2020, the Endoscopic Spine Academy was accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd). It is one of only four Accreditation Centers that meet its strict rigorous internal quality assurance processes. Together, with its growing team of faculty, joimax^® developed the complete six-step curriculum to bridge the learning curve for spine surgeons. The curriculum, which was approved by the RCSEd, is developed as an educational program from beginners to masters alike.

J.N. Alastair Gibson DSc MD FRCSEd, a RCSEd and ESPINEA^® Advisory Board Member sums it up: “The ESPINEA^® mission is to serve endoscopic spine surgeons by providing a growing global network for lifelong learning to best benefit the patient. Our vision is to be the world’s leading interdisciplinary community in endoscopic spine surgery.”

In addition to holding ESPINEA^® courses at the joimax^®-owned premises in Karlsruhe (Germany) and Irvine (USA), they are also held at ORSI Academy (Belgium) and at other prestigious universities, such as Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg (Austria). Recently, ESPINEA^® was rolled out in Thailand. Prior to the July PASMISS Meeting, the courses will be launched in Singapore for the APAC region, and following the October SMISS Meeting, launched widely in the U.S.

“Given the ongoing development of endoscopic spine surgery with more and more technological options, the benefits for the patients, along with the substantial publication, I am convinced that endoscopic spine surgery is now the gold standard,” states Iprenburg Spine Clinic Founder and ESPINEA^® Advisory Board Member Dr. Menno Iprenburg.

With the ESPINEA^® courses, surgeons can train on different procedures using the joimax^® TESSYS^®, iLESSYS^®, CESSYS^®, MultiZYTE^®, EndoLIF^®, Percusys^® based on the latest NAVENTO^® tower. Most of the courses are conducted in a hybrid mode — online and on-site presentations and lectures combined with in-person hands-on training using models, simulators and anatomical specimens.

ESPINEA^® was established as an open education platform for other players in the field of spinal surgery as well. Therefore, further supporters have already joined and new entrants are welcomed.

Oberwallis / Switzerland, 24.07.09. The first intervertebral disc operation using the joimax^® TESSYS^® method for the endoscopic removal of herniated discs was recently performed in the Oberwallis Spitalzentrum in Brig, Switzerland. Dr. med. Uwe Schwarz (pictured left), Chief Physician of orthopaedic surgery, carried out the two and a half hour long procedure to remove a lumbar disc herniation together with spine specialist and joimax^® Senior Faculty Member Dr. Florian Maria Alfen from Würzburg (pictured right). The patient was able to leave the hospital on the same day.

Karlsruhe, 22nd June 2009: On 15th and 16th June the second international joimax^® workshop on the endoscopic removal of disc hernias using the TESSYS^® method took place in the ATOS Private Clinic in Munich. The highlight of this workshop was the live transmission of three operations, which the 15 workshop participants were able to follow from the comfort of the conference room in the neighbouring NH Hotel. Dr. med. Michael Schubert performed the operations on patients from Germany and Denmark, describing the individual steps and answering questions from the doctors in the auditorium during the operation. Two workshop participants were able to go into the operating theatre for each operation to observe the live procedure.
The live operations followed a day of intensive training on cadavers, allowing the doctors from Germany, Spain, Italy, USA, Jordan and Israel to get the most benefit from the live operations. Lectures by experts in the field of minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery completed the workshop.

TES procedure L5-S1 with a large sequester caudally – operation performed by Dr. Menno Iprenburg

Click here to read a newspaper artical on Dutch speed skater Renate Groenewold (2009 world champion over 3000 meters) following her TES operation on 2nd May 2009.

Maximilian Ries

Ries took on the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Business Development and Operations at joimax^®. In this position, based in Germany, he will be responsible for scaling global operations to ensure joimax^® continues its exponential growth. Formerly the General Manager, for the past six of his 13-year tenure with joimax^®, Ries built out the United States and Latin American markets.

Tony Troncale

Troncale was promoted to General Manager; he was formerly Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at joimax^® Inc. Over the past two years, Troncale, in addition to increasing his responsibilities, successfully capitalized on the significant interest in endoscopic techniques to expand US sales operations. He joined joimax^® in 2021 bringing 20-years of experience in the spinal device industry where he served in sales and marketing leadership roles at Stryker, K2M, and Synthes Spine. Contributing to the global organization’s continuous strong sales growth was the launch of a new surgical access system, “Tessys^® Trans SAP” and the global expansion of the ESPINEA^® Education Academy.

Wolfgang Ries

“I am extremely pleased with our 2022 global performance and the significant interest in endoscopic spine surgery,” stated joimax^® Founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries. “With Max and Tony in their new roles, our market-leading endoscopic spine technologies, and our anticipated launch of two more new surgical access systems later in 2023, we are well positioned for another very successful year.”