Kategorie: 2015

joimax® Announces Executive Appointments Among Record-Breaking Sales for 2022

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

KARLSRUHE, Germany – (BUSINESS WIRE) – joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, has appointed Mr. Maximilian Ries and Mr. Anthony Troncale to new executive positions, effective January 1. The announcement comes among record-breaking sales across Europe, Asia, and the United States in 2022.

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.”

joimax® Experiences Major Growth, Launches TESSYS® TransSAP Endoscopic Surgical System

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

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.

joimax® faculty surgeon masters, Dr. Christof Hofstetter and Dr. Ralf Wagner, demonstrate TESSYS® and iLESSYS® to an at capacity crowd during NASS 2022 in Chicago. (Photo: Business Wire)

“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.

joimax®announces major spike in attendance at its ESPINEA® workshops, reports record revenues

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

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.

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

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

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.

FDA Clearance for joimax EndoLIF On-Cage: 3D-Printed Fusion Implant

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

Irvine, California – July 13, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) – The German company joimax®, developer of technologies and training methods for minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery, today announced it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Endoscopic Lumbar Interbody Fusion, or EndoLIF® On-Cage.

The EndoLIF On-Cage® consists of titanium alloy, produced with Electron Beam Melt (EBM) technology. The cage displays a porous surface with diamond cell structure, providing an optimal base for cell proliferation and bone growth. Two large openings, which may be filled with autogenous bone, support the creation of a straight column for fusion.

The EndoLIF® implant allows surgeons to utilize an inter-muscular approach, similar to a mini transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), into the intervertebral disc, enabling endoscopic-assisted fusion. Dr. Ralf Wagner, LIGAMENTA Spine Center, Frankfurt and Dr. Bernd Illerhaus, ONZ, Datteln/Recklinghausen, two German spine specialists, have already performed more than 200 out of 600 EndoLIF procedures in Europe. “The access is dura and nerve-gentle, preserves the dorsal bony structures and we can avoid scar tissue because of the stepwise tissue dilation,” said Dr. Illerhaus.

The EndoLIF® On-Cage is designed to be used with supplemental posterior fixation, such as the joimax Percusys® percutaneous pedicle screw-rod system. Cage implantation can be performed with a posterior or postero-lateral approach, either using an open or endoscopic-assisted method.

“With the EndoLIF® program, joimax offers a complete endoscopic-assisted solution for spinal stabilization and fusion. In the future, we will be able to treat patients with even more gentle techniques,” comments Wolfgang Ries, CEO and founder of joimax®. “Our next development will be an EndoLIF® Cage on the basis of our iLESSYS® Delta system for posterior lumbar inter-body fusion (PLIF).”

Parviz Kambin Award for three joimax® Faculty Members

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

During a special joimax® faculty meeting which was held at the institute of anatomy at the University of Mainz, Germany on June 20-21, joimax® honored three surgeons with the Parviz Kambin Award. Dr. Albert Telfeian, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, RI, US and Dr. Gabriele Jasper, Center for Pain Control, NJ, US received the award in recognition of their outstanding scientific and educational dedication to transforaminal surgery. The two surgeons tremendously contributed to this field with numerous high quality publications. Also they are treading new paths for spinal endoscopy. Just recently Dr. Telfeian did the first awake surgery to remove a thoracic spinal tumor. Dr. Menno Iprenburg, Iprenburg Herniakliniek, NL received the award for his lifetime achievement. Dr. Iprenburg is applying joimax techniques, especially TESSYS, since 2004. In his private clinic, he successfully treated more than 2000 patients suffering from disc herniations.

The award is named after Dr. Parviz Kambin who identified a workspace within the intervertebral foramen, through which the spinal canal can be accessed safely. Because this safe zone is somewhat triangular shaped, it was named the „Kambin triangle“.

Collage_Award_Winners.tif

On the left: Award winner Dr. Menno Iprenburg (r.) with joimax® CEO Wolfgang Ries (l.) On the right: Award winners Dr. Albert Telfeian (r.) and Dr. Gabriele Jasper (l.) with Wolfgang Ries (m.)

joimax launches the iLESSYS® Delta system for treatment of spinal stenosis at DGNC 2015 annual meeting

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

Karlsruhe, Germany – June 8, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) – The German company joimax®, developer of technologies and training methods for minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery, today announced it will introduce the company’s new iLESSYS® Delta system to the market at the 66th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC) taking place in Karlsruhe, Germany from June 7-10.

iLESSYS® Delta, an advanced development of the joimax iLESSYS® 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 the interlaminar access, guided by endoscopic-assisted vision.

“Since the access to the spine is the same as with the already well-established iLESSYS® technique, usage is very straightforward.” said Dr. Guntram Krzok, orthopedic surgeon from Waltershausen, Germany after testing the new system at a joimax workshop early this year. “I was impressed by the new scope which delivers outstanding image quality. With the specialized instrument set, it is finally possible to achieve decompression of central spinal canal stenosis.”

The iLESSYS® Delta instrument set includes specially developed tools that enable extensive, yet gentle, tissue-sparing decompression. The 6 mm working channel of the new endoscope allows for the use of large shaver blades designed for bone resection and endo-kerrisons. An additional option is the plastic (PPSU) working tube for unimpaired X-ray examination.

“iLESSYS® Delta is a logical addition to our portfolio. Not only is the system suitable for endoscopic decompression, but it also allows the parallel implantation of cages. This way we can achieve dorsal decompression and stabilization in one step,” comments Wolfgang Ries, CEO and founder of joimax.

About joimax

Founded in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2001, joimax® is one of the leading medical device companies in minimally invasive spinal surgery („joined minimal access“). The company’s U.S. subsidiary was established in Irvine, California, in 2005. The company is primarily focused on the development, production and marketing of technologies and methods for minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery. joimax is active in 40 countries around the globe and its methods have been successfully employed in approximately 130,000 surgeries. With a special focus on education, the company provides surgeons with specialized technique training through the three-step joimax CM3 education program. This program includes visitations, cadaver workshops and live-surgery support.

joimax® faculty member Dr. Albert Telfeian performs 1st endoscopic removal of a thoracic spinal tumor

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

We are proud to share this story about our joimax® faculty member Dr. Albert Telfeian and how he was able to help 17-year old Jenelle “Nelly” Camara who was suffering from a spinal tumor.

Already in 2014, Dr. Telfeian removed a thumb-sized tumor pressing the girl’s spine cord. The pathology was sent for identification but even the best U.S. labs weren’t able to figure out what the tumor was. Camara underwent radiation therapy and was free of symptoms for a while. But the tumor resumed growth soon and she and her family returned to Dr. Telfeian at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.

This time the surgeon decided to use an endoscopic approach with the girl under local anaesthetic. With Camara being awake during surgery, Dr. Telfeian was able to ask her to move her legs which is an important control for the surgeon operating in such close proximity to the spinal cord. With a tiny 8-millimeter incision on her back and specialized endoscopic instruments he was able to do a biopsy on the tumor without removing bony material like in the first surgery.

Within a week the family received a diagnosis which now allows a targeted therapy for Camara who will be able to return to school and cheerleading in fall this year.
Read all the details about how endoscopy helped to identify Camara’s tumor in this article.

NBC also featured the story in NBC 10 News. 

A scientific paper (case report) about the procedure was published online in the journal, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, and will appear in the July 2015 issue.

joimax® workshops continue to proof as highly efficient and successful in the education of surgeons worldwide

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

As the second step of the joimax® CM3 Education Program, surgeons are trained on joimax® methods during hands-on cadaver workshops taking place throughout the year in different locations and countries.
The typical workshop agenda includes theoretical sessions with expert lectures from joimax® Faculty members as well as practical sessions on human cadavers. The feedback joimax® receives from the trained doctors after each workshop and the increasing number of workshop registrants speak for themselves. “When we analyze the feedback forms after each course we find that participants highly value the hands-on time which also allows them to discuss with the instructors as well as the opportunity to share experience with surgeons that are new to endoscopy.” says Monika Gensert, Senior Product and Education Manager at joimax®.

From January to May 2015, joimax® organized and conducted four workshops in Germany and Austria and another four workshops in the US. In Europe alone joimax® trained 60 surgeons from various countries and disciplines. Surgeons can chose between basic and advanced courses which differ in the complexity of the techniques taught, i.e. the EndoLIF®, iLESSYS® stenosis and CESSYS® approach is only trained in advanced workshops.
Additionally, joimax® technologies were part of 4 DWG (German Spine Society) Modules for Board Certification of spine surgeons.
At the US workshops, whose attendees exclusively come from the US and Mexico, another 43 surgeons were instructed on TESSYS®, Multiuse, iLESSYS®, Percusys® and EndoLIF®.
“The workshop was excellent, with lots of great input from the joimax® team, as well as from the faculty surgeons.” stated a US-workshop attendee.

Your next opportunity to join one of our workshops will be in Mainz, Germany on June 19-20 and in Dallas, Texas, US on July 18. For more workshop dates click here.

IMG_8085_Workshop-EN-US

US workshop with joimax® Faculty Dr. Daniel Laich, Irvine, CA, US, March 2015

joimax® at CAOS in Beijing, China

Veröffentlicht am von christine.stump@joimax.com

The 8th Annual Congress of the Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (CAOS) was held at the Beijing International Convention Center, Beijing, China on May 7-10.
joimax® joined this important international event both as an exhibitor and as an education partner.
CAOS, in collaboration with NASS, created the “Techniques in Complex Spine Surgery” program which featured six 1-hour live technique demonstrations, two 3-hour hands-on cadaver workshops, and five lectures with discussion. As expert support for this exciting program, CAOS invited two members of the joimax® Faculty Team: Dr. Guntram Krzok, Friedrichroda, Germany and Dr. Ralf Wagner, Frankfurt, Germany.
The two surgeons delivered well-visited lectures and demonstrated the joimax® TESSYS® technique. As a highlight of the event, the technique demonstrations were shared via webcast and more than 1000 surgeons viewed the program in the Beijing convention hall. More than 26,000 surgeons, surgical nurses and technicians viewed the demos online which enabled maximum visibility for joimax and its technologies.

The joimax® team members who supported the event on-site were deeply impressed by the strong interest in the latest spine surgery systems coming from many Chinese surgeons. Needless to say China is the largest medical market in the world and joimax® will continue to strengthen its relationship with local partners and training centers.

CAOS_Live_Surgery_Krzok

Live webcast during joimax® TESSYS® technique demonstration at CAOS 2015.