Karlsruhe, June 2nd 2008: The joimax® company in Karlsruhe, Germany, is the first company in
the medical industry which developed a unique instrumentation for the treatment of spinal canal
stenosis. Having this degenerative disease at the spinal column, bony excrescences (osteophytes)
narrow the spinal canal and drastically limit the motoric and sensoric function of the affected
person. The so called 360° TESSYS™ Spinal Stenosis System, which has been realized
in cooperation with Dr. Rudolf Morgenstern, Barcelona, Spain (Centro Médico de Terapia de la
Columna), enables surgeons to completely remove this osseous/bony material under direct endoscopic
view through the vertebral foramen. Especially relating to elderly people in industrialised
countries, spinal canal stenosis is a frequent growing disease of the spine. So far, affected
patients are operated, if possible, with the open microsurgical method under full anaesthesia,
what however causes bigger tissue damage and may result in instability of the spinal column.
“With our new method the patient is under local anaesthetics and via a fingernail-like cut the
minimal access to the stenosis is enabled. Surrounding tissue is hardly damaged and thanks to
new endoscopic reamers and chisels allowing removal of osteophytes, so that treated patients
can leave the hospital already a few hours after the surgery” explains Dr. Rudolf Morgenstern.
A further product innovation revolutionizing spinal surgery is the so called iLESSYS™ – inter-
Laminar Endoscopic Surgical System. It enables the fully dorsal endoscopic access to the
lamina and to the spinal canal, which in a stenotic patient situation is heavily compressing all
structures. “With iLESSYS™ and together with the TESSYS™ Stenosis System a full 360° spinal
canal treatment offering is now made available for tissue, but if indicated, also for bony decompression
procedures,” summarizes Wolfgang Ries, founder and CEO of the joimax® GmbH.
Both new instrumentations are based on the TESSYS™ – Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgical
System, an operation technique and method which is used worldwide for the removal of lumbar
disc herniations. Surgeons are regularly offered the opportunity to familiarize themselves with
this sophisticated platform technology by using the instruments in hands-on sessions, and at the
same time exchange experiences with their peers. For example during the Spineweek, Geneva,
Switzerland, May 27th – 31st 2008, at which joimax had organized a lunch symposium and
showed good presence at the industrial exhibition. Further events with joimax®
are:
DGNC – 59th Annual Conference of the German Society for Neurosurgery, held June, 1st –
4th 2008 in Würzburg, Germany: joimax® is represented with a booth exhibition and is again organising a Lunch-Symposium for TESSYS™. Additionally at
The 1st WCMISST – World Congress of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery & Techniques,
June, 3rd –7th 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii: Here joimax® offers Cadaver Workshops on June 3rd
and 4th, besides presenting its latest new products at the industrial exhibition.
Another next innovation of the joimax® product portfolio is the Video TWISTER, a unique electronic
device enabling a 360° video rotation continuously adjustable. Additionally a zoom in
magnification and an image centring function is made available.