joimax® STUDIES PUBLISHED IN WORLD NEUROSURGERY TESSYS® system proves to be surgical rescue solution for kyphoplasty complication and thoracic disc herniation.

Irvine, Germany, September 14th, 2016 – joimax®, the expert in endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery, is pleased to announce another publication on its technologies to be released in World Neurosurgery (2016). In the paper called “Transpedicular Lumbar Endoscopic Surgery for Highly Migrated Disc Extrusions, a preliminary series and surgical technique,” published by Krzok G et al, 21 patients underwent this procedure with the TESSYS® system. The paper follows two technical notes by Wagner R et al in which he shows joimax® techniques as surgical rescue solutions in a kyphoplasty complication and another one for the treatment of a thoracic disc herniation, all published in World Neurosurgery.

The first technical note mentioned above describes the case of a 72-year-old woman with a leakage of the kyphoplasty cement into the spinal canal (a described and known complication), where the joimax® technology was successfully used as a rescue solution to remove the cement and decompress the nerval structures preventing major surgery. The second technical note describes the transforaminal endoscopic foraminoplasty and discectomy for the treatment of a thoracic disc herniation. A 31-year-old woman with severe thoracic back pain over one year was successfully treated by using the transforaminal endoscopic approach so that open surgery was not needed.

Over the years a growing number of studies show the outstanding advantages of endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery, such as the prospective Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of Ruetten et al in 178 patients and by Hoogland et al in a study of 262 consecutive cases of transforaminal endoscopic spinal surgery. Both were published in Spine 2008, Vol. 33, Issue 9. Another retrospective evaluation with 195 patients of Jasper et al (Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery 2013, Vol. 115, Issue 10) and a multi-centric MIS prospective registry published by Sclafani et al (IJSS 2015, Vol. 9, Art. 69) with 86 patients, also showed very encouraging results. Beyond that, a special edition in the Journal of Neurosurgery called Neurosurgical Focus, published by Gokaslan Z, Telfeian A and Wang M focused on Endoscopic Spine Surgery was released in February 2016 (JNS 2016, Vol. 40, No. 2).

“Working with Endoscopic Spine Surgery for more than 12 years (her performed already 2,400 Tessys® procedures in daysurgery in analgo-sedation) and seeing its evolution is just amazing and I wonder where we will be in five or ten years from now”, says Menno Iprenburg, MD from Veenhuizen, NL, who continues to be involved in many of these studies.

Albert Telfeian, MD, PhD from Brown University, RI is very happy about the actual hit rate on PubMed when searching for endoscopic spinal surgery, “To date we’ve received a rate of 2,730 papers on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=endoscopic+spinal+surgery and I am really excited how many indications are treatable with endoscopy already today,” said Telfeian.

“Shortly another RCT study will be published by Gibson et al demonstrating the quality and great success rate of endoscopic spine treatments with a high adoption rate, especially in Asian countries, and in some countries where there is more than 50% growth per annum”, says Wolfgang Ries, founder and CEO of joimax®.

User Meeting Heidelberg

joimax® sets the second highlight in its anniversary year: The TESSYS®/iLESSYS® User Meeting in Heidelberg

Karlsruhe/Heidelberg, 20 June 2011. After the success of the User Meeting in scope of the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, Colorado in April, joimax® invited customers and users of their systems to attend the User Meeting in Heidelberg.

Teilnehmer Anwendertreffen Heidelberg 2011

 

The meeting provided an ideal discussion forum for the TESSYS® users, orthopedic and neurosurgeons with scientific lectures, experience reports and an extensive practical session at the Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology of the Heidelberg University. joimax® placed the focus on their new products with the shaver/drill system SHRILL® and the iLESSYS® instrument kits, that represent the consistent further development of the well-known and proven joimax® platform for endoscopic spine surgery. Dr. med. Carl Hans Fu?rstenberg, Senior Consultant and Deputy Head of Spinal Cord Injury and Head of Operative Spinal Cord Injury Department of Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Spinal Cord Injury at the University Hospital Heidelberg, was impressed with the, now comprehensive, access technique: „The circle has been literally closed now. With TESSYS® and iLESSYS® we have the 360 degrees access to the spinal canal.“ „With the complement of iLESSYS® for interlaminar access, the complete range of endoscopic access techniques to the spinal canal is now available, providing us a lot more options to help patients efficiently and fast “, stated University Lecturer Dr. Sandro Eustacchio from the Neurosurgery Department of the University Hospital in Graz, Austria, who has been practicing the interlaminar access method for quite a while and demonstrated it to the audience.

Another core theme was the application of the shaver/drill system SHRILL®, impressively presented by Dr. med. Guntram Krzok, Friedrichroda, who cannot imagine specifically stenosis therapy without this „fantastic instrument“ any more, as he stated. According to his experience, this instrument perfectly completes the indication array of endoscopic spinal surgery.

All participants praised the format of the meeting with being the right mix of theory and practice as well as the ideal forum for an extensive exchange of experiences between the experts. During the relevant congresses and exhibitions of the second half of 2011, joimax® will present and launch further product novelties starting at EuroSpine in Milan, Italy, and SMISS in Las Vegas in October, NASS in Chicago in November and later at the 6th German Spine Congress to be held in Hamburg in December 2011.

joimax® – The experts in minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery show flag at the EUROSPINE in Lyon

Karlsruhe – joimax® is participating with an industrial exhibition at the annual meeting of the european spine society „EUROSPINE“ from October 1st to October 3rd at the Congress Center in Lyon. In Forum N° A43 the company, located in Karlsruhe, exhibits its now highly diversified product portfolio for 360° surgery in nearly all areas of the spine including endoscopic or percutaneous stabilization. In various lunch symposia, numerous european experts will show their experiences and results. During a 2 hours lunch symposium on the first day of the Congress in Hall Rhône 1 internationally recognized spine specialists under the leadership of Dr. Menno Iprenburg (Veenhuizen / Netherlands) and Dr. Alastair Gibson (Edinburgh / United Kingdom) will provide insights of their experience and into their scientific results.

Lectures on the latest product developments are expected with great interest, hereby:

  • The EndoLIF® system for endoscopic lumbar column stabilization. This system includes not only the fully endoscopic access technology to the disc space with the proven TESSYS® or iLESSYS® method, but also an implant, the so-called O-Cage (O = oblique).
  • Percusys®, an innovative screw and rod system for the posterior percutaneous stabilization.

The advantages of this methods are obvious:

  • Tissue sparing access by dilation
  • Protection of dura and nerves through a proven access corridor
  • Preservation of the posterior bony structures due to the special lateral access
  • EndoLIF® O-Cage made of Ti6Al4V for optimized bone ingrowth
  • Percutaneous stabilization by Percusys® and therefore minimally invasive

Both new systems are CE approved and the FDA approval is in progress.

Since 2004, more than 100,000 patients in 30 countries were successfully operated using the TESSYS® method and their further developments. Studies show the shorter reconvalescence time, faster recovery and thereby speed up the return of the patients to work and enhance quality of life.

Visit joimax® at EUROSPINE, Cité Internationale, Lyon Convention Centre, Forum N° A 43 and see for yourself the benefits of the new systems.

Virtual Global Symposium on Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Highlights Livestream Training Benefits

Karlsruhe, Germany — The Global Symposium of the ESPINEA® Academy in Karlsruhe, sponsored by joimax®, showcased how modern, advanced training for surgeons works. Earlier this month, over four days, more than 300 participants from around the world learned about the latest endoscopic surgical methods for spinal diseases. Via live demonstrations, twelve world-renowned spinal surgeons presented case studies, gave tips and tricks, and allowed people to look over their shoulders at endoscopic videos while operating on cadavers. The livestream made it possible for participating surgeons to understand exactly how endoscopic operations are carried out.

“You can only get closer if you do it yourself,” said one participant.

Endoscopic spinal surgery is developing into the gold standard for back problems that need surgery,” said Wolfgang Ries, the academy’s founder and chairman. “A large number of studies show it is superior to conventional methods of open spine surgery. Unfortunately, this technique is still not taught in most training centers around the world”.

ESPINEA® fills this gap with an extensive training program. Webinar formats are unavoidable in the Coronavirus period. With today’s livestream technologies, ESPINEA® was able to provide real-time, interactive surgical training, zooming in on how its surgical instruments can be used successfully.

“The participants’ enthusiasm is confirmation that we need to further develop online trainings,” said Ries. “While virtual events cannot replace face-to-face instruction — after all, it’s learning by doing — they provide an excellent alternative”.

ESPINEA® Academy was founded by joimax® in February 2019. A month later, joimax® CEO and Founder Wolfgang Ries held its first faculty and user meeting at the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg. Since then, ESPINEA® has been accredited by the oldest surgical college in the world, the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh. Participants at events such as the Global Symposium can earn medical training credits for Continuing Professional Development (CPD points). Points can be applied to medical license renewals.

Underscoring the importance of virtual learning, three ESPINEA® board members chaired the symposium: Menno Iprenburg from Iprenburg Spine Clinic in Veenhuizen, Netherlands; Sang-Ho Lee, president of Wooridul Spine Hospital, Korea; and J. N. Alistair Gibson, Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. The participants concluded, “It was worth taking part just to hear these luminaries in person. But the best part was the opportunity to see the operation as if you were performing it yourself.”

Contact:
joimax® GmbH 
Nicole Read
info@espinea.org

Orthopedics This Week – October 2012

Anthony Yeung, M.D., receives the Parviz Kambin Award of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) in cooperation with joimax® for his outstanding achievements in the field of minimally-invasive endoscopic spinal surgery.

Yeung Honored by SMISS

Anthony Yeung, M.D., known to his many friends and admirers as “Tony,” is the 2012 recipient of the Parviz Kambin Award, given by the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) to honor outstanding surgeons in the field of endoscopic spine surgery. The Society held the ceremony during its annual meeting, September 23, and Yeung’s son, Christopher Yeung, M.D., accepted the award for his father.

SMISS established the Kambin Award, in collaboration with joimax®, to recognize the surgeons who have successfully performed more than 1,000 cases of endoscopic spinal surgery, trained more than 100 surgeons in the procedure, (in both cases specifically transforaminal surgery), published in numerous scientific publications and professional journals and given presentations at leading congresses. Finally, the recipient must demonstrate a strong commitment to clinical research and training. Choll Kim, M.D. and executive director, Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, wrote, “Tony is my hero and certainly deserves such an award.”

The award is named for Parviz Kambin, M.D. to recognize and honor his pioneering work that paved the way for minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery. Kambin identified the unique safe access point to the spinal canal now known as the “Kambin Triangle.” Previous awardees are Parviz Kambin, M.D., professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Drexel University; Michael Schubert, M.D., APEX Spine Center, Munich, Germany; and Menno Iprenburg, M.D., Veenhuizen, Netherlands.

SMISS is the only society dedicated solely to advancing minimally invasive spine surgery. Endoscopic spine surgery constitutes but a small portion of SMISS’ overall educational content regarding minimally invasive spine surgery. SMISS’ primary role is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information.

Orthopedics This Week – Yeung Honered by SMISS

Parviz Kambin Award 2012 ; minimally invasive spine surgery ; Joimax ; endoscopy
Yeung Honored by SMISS

NASS, 2015: joimax® launches its new EndoLIF® On-Cage and new iLESSYS® Delta interlaminar endoscopy system

Chicago, Illinois – October 14, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) – joimax®, the global German developer and marketer of technologies and training methods for minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery, launches its two newest products – the EndoLIF® On-Cage and iLESSYS® Delta interlaminar system, during the 30th annual North American Spine Society (NASS) meeting in Chicago.

“With the new EndoLIF® program, combined with the TESSYS® technology, and now the iLESSYS® Delta, joimax® offers complete endoscopic solutions for spinal decompression, stabilization and fusion.”

The EndoLIF® On-Cage is a 3D-printed titanium alloy, manufactured utilizing a special electron beam melting (EBM) technology. The cage displays a porous surface with a diamond cell structure, which provides an optimal base for cell proliferation and bone growth. Two large implant graft windows, which are filled with autogenous bone, allow for bridging bone to further support fusion. The EndoLIF® On-Cage implant allows surgeons to utilize a mini-open or an inter-muscular approach, similar to a mini-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) approach, into the intervertebral disc space facilitating endoscopic-assisted fusion.

Dr. Ralf Wagner, LIGAMENTA Spine Center, Frankfurt, and Dr. Bernd Illerhaus, ONZ Spine Center, Recklinghausen, are two German spine specialists who have already performed more than 200 of the 800 EndoLIF® On-Cage procedures in Europe. “The access is dura and nerve-gentle, preserves better dorsal bony structures and limits scar tissue formation because of the stepwise tissue dilation,” said Dr. Wagner.

iLESSYS® Delta, an advanced development of the joimax iLESSYS® standard technology, is suitable for dorsal and dorso-lateral treatment of central spinal canal stenosis. The iLESSYS® Delta system enables a large area to be decompressed by means of a more widened interlaminar approach, guided by a full endoscopic direct visualization technique. The new and specific instrument set includes specially developed tools that permit an extensive, yet gentle, tissue-sparing decompression. A new endoscope with a 6 mm working channel allows the use of large shaver blades designed for bone and tissue resection, along with a range of instruments to be applied under full endoscopic view.

“We are impressed by the new endoscope which delivers outstanding image quality. With the specialized instrument set, it is finally possible to achieve decompression of central spinal canal stenosis,” said Albert E. Telfeian, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurosurgery, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI. Jian Shen, MD, PhD, of Mohawk Valley Orthopedics, P.C., NY, concurs. The two surgeons gained experience with the new system during a meeting at the Anatomy Department of the University of Mainz, Germany, earlier this year, and during the cadaveric training course at Vitruvian lab in Baltimore, MD, held last week.

“Albert Telfeian and Jian Shen will be the first spinal surgeons in the USA to perform surgeries with the new iLESSYS® Delta endoscopic technology and the EndoLIF® On-Cage implants,” says Wolfgang Ries, CEO and founder of joimax®. He adds, “With the new EndoLIF® program, combined with the TESSYS® technology, and now the iLESSYS® Delta, joimax® offers complete endoscopic solutions for spinal decompression, stabilization and fusion.”

With the FDA approval of Percusys® percutaneous screw-rod-system earlier this year, and the FDA approval of EndoLIF® On-Cage in July, joimax® is positioning itself as a clear leader in minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery, providing a full spectrum of product technologies, now fully available in the U.S. market.

joimax® for the first time awards the Parviz Kambin prize in cooperation with SMISS in the frame of the first US TESSYS® User Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

[29.04.2011] – Karlsruhe/Denver, Colorado, April 2011. After a very successful advanced cadaver workshop on Saturday, April 9, 2011, joimax® held its first US TESSYS® User Meeting on Sunday, April 10th in Denver, Colorado, the site of the Scientific Annual Meeting for AANS, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

In cooperation with SMISS, Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, joimax®, for the first time, presented the Parviz Kambin award to Dr. Parviz Kambin. Dr. Kambin is one of the most important pioneers who paved the way for the minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery industry. The award was founded to honor outstanding surgeons in the field of endoscopic spine surgery. Dr. Parviz Kambin identified the unique safe access point to the spinal canal now known as the ‘Kambin triangle.’ Additionally, two experienced spinal surgeons, Dr. Michael Schubert, Munich, Germany and Dr. Menno Iprenburg, Veenhuizen, the Netherlands, were honored with the Parviz Kambin Award, each having performed more than 1.000 procedures of this kind, trained hundreds of doctors using the TESSYS® technique and each publishing scientific presentations held at renowned international congresses.

Winner_Kambin_Award_2011

Dr. Choll Kim, Executive Director of SMISS and Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California – San Diego, “We, at SMISS, consider endoscopy of the spine to be a progressive technique with huge potential for the future of minimally invasive spine surgery. Aside from their operative work, we recognize the accomplishments of the recipients, who are large contributors to the advancement of the TESSYS® procedure on a global level.”

Besides the highlight of the award presentation ceremony, the User Meeting offered a robust program of scientific presentations, reports and discussions with internationally renowned spine specialists in the field of orthopaedic and neuro surgery. Additionally, joimax® started its celebrating event program 2011: 5 years joimax® Inc. in the USA and 10 years joimax® GmbH in Germany.

joimax® celebrates 10 years of TESSYS®

Karlsruhe – Since 2004 more than 100,000 patients in 30 countries (up to August 2014) have undergone surgery with the TESSYS® method and its later developments. The latest studies reveal a shorter recovery time, a quicker return to work and normal quality of life, and an associated reduction in the impact on welfare systems.

joimax® looks back on 10 years of successful application of the TESSYS® procedure for minimally invasive endoscopic removal of herniated discs – a particularly gentle surgical technique using the naturally occurring transforaminal opening to the spinal canal. TESSYS® was the first product that joimax® launched onto the market and it helped the company make its breakthrough. Since then, joimax® has greatly diversified its product portfolio for 360° surgery in virtually all areas of the spinal column, including endoscopic and percutaneous stabilization.

joimax® Announces Partnership with Southeast Asia Distributor, Transmedic Group

Karlsruhe (GER) – joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Transmedic Group, a top medical device distributor headquartered in Singapore. In this exclusive deal, Transmedic will represent joimax® in Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines and Indonesia.

The long-term partnership will provide a broader surgical choice for patients considering endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery in these markets. With recent advances in the field of endoscopic discectomy (ED), the procedure has potential to supersedemicrodiscectomy (MD) as the gold standard of care in management of lumbar disc disease, as the latest literature suggests.

“joimax® is very much looking forward to working with Transmedic Group,” says joimax® Founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries. “With the rising popularity of endoscopic approaches in the management of spinal diseases, we’re able to deliver the highest standard of patient care, strengthen our sales activities, and enter into another important partnership across APAC.” 

Cooperation joimax and transmedic

Teo Kee Meng, managing director of Transmedic Group commented, “We’re very pleased to partner with joimax®. With their technological advancements and use of new spinal access corridors, a major prevention of spinal structure collateral damage is assured, allowing for significantly reduced complications and improved postoperative recovery times.”

About Transmedic Group
Transmedic Group was founded in 1980 with the aim of becoming the top specialist in the advanced medical technology area in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, the privately held company has since grown its presence in seven countries with more than 500 employees, and is well-renowned as the leading provider of latest technologies in healthcare.

joimax®, EndoSphere Spine, LLC and the University of Toledo, Ohio, have signed a license agreement on endoscopic cage technologies

Karlsruhe, 23 October 2012. joimax® as the recognized pioneer in endoscopic spine surgery has launched the transforaminal access to the spinal canal under the brand name TESSYS® in 2004. Since then the company has consistently extended its product range and covers the complete array of therapies for spinal disorders with its systems today.

TESSYS® and iLESSYS® are applied especially for the treatment of disc herniations and stenosis utilizing the transforaminal or interlaminar access to the spinal canal, aiming for a long lasting decompression. In the area of pain therapy the company offers the products of the Multiuse series for endoscopic rhizotomy and PeNuts® for percutaneous nucleus therapy. The product range is completed by systems and products in the field of VBA management.

Consequently the next step in the evolution of the joimax® product portfolio is the stabilization and restoration of the spinal column. With the joimax® EndoLIF® programme – the term stands for Endoscopic Lumbar Interbody Fusion – various cage technologies are brought into the intervertebral foramen step by step under endoscopic view. The cage is then being filled with autologous bone or a substitute material under endoscopic control also, the intervertebral disc space and hence the whole spine segment is raised and stabilized. This will be the world’s first interbody fusion device which can be inserted under direct vision.

EndoSphere Spine’s founding members Professors Vijay Goel, PhD and Anand Agarwal, MD at the University of Toledo are among the world leading researchers in the development of biomedical device for the spine. With the assistance of a team at the University of Toledo, they have developed the cage technology, in particular a novel ring cage that is being licensed to joimax® on an exclusive worldwide basis. Prof. Goel is enthusiastic with the idea to position the cage technology using the joimax® minimally invasive access technique: “The combination of our know how with the joimax® expertise leads us to a unique concept that will dramatically push endoscopic spinal surgery forward.” His colleague Prof. Agarwal considers it even a “quantum leap forward”. “In the team at the University of Toledo and the co-founders of EndoSphere Spine, LLC (Profs Goel and Agarwal) we have found a brilliant partner to provide the spine surgeons with state-of-the-art implants for most atraumatic interventions”, adds Wolfgang Ries, CEO and Founder of joimax®.

Both parties share the vision and mission of creating pioneering technologies in order to quickly bring back patients to their usual quality of life in the long run.

About The University of Toledo
Established in 1872, The University of Toledo is home to nearly 22,500 students across 13 colleges and six Ohio campuses. The University offers more than 230 doctoral, professional, graduate and undergraduate programs. UT has earned national and international acclaim for its expertise in medical bioengineering, solar and advanced renewable energy, environmental sciences, astronomical research, translational research and biomarkers.