Mulhouse, France, 17 September, 2015: FH Orthopedics, developer of the Elastic Spine Prosthesis (ESP®), formed its Spine Business Unit in 2014 and appointed Eric Hermann as Director. The company has moved quickly over the past year to expand its presence in the international spine community by gaining distributors, opening new markets, and attending international spine meetings. Most recently, FH Orthopedics announced that it will have a booth at the North American Spine Society (NASS) annual meeting in Chicago, October 14-17, 2005.
The Spine Unit officially launched a new website and logo for its ESP® line of spinal disc replacements at the DWG (Germany Spine Society) annual meeting in December 2014 in Leipzig. The LP-ESP® (for lumbar indications) and CP-ESP® (for cervical indications) devices were well received at the meeting, where surgeons viewed them as a great alternative to other techniques. The website, www.esp-disc.com, was developed to provide a transparent source of information for health professionals and patients. It has a complete bibliography on the ESP® discs as well as a brochure and videos of patient testimonials.
Just two months ago, the Spine Unit announced it was expanding its distribution network by signing new agreements with leading agencies in France and Germany who specialize in spine and non-fusion solutions. The ESP® devices have the CE Mark and are TGA registered (not FDA approved) and are being used by surgeons in Australia, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland among others. 
In early September, the company attended the Eurospine 2015 Congress in Copenhagen. In addition to a booth, FH Orthopedics conducted a workshop, “ESP Spine Discs, A Step Forward,” which discussed ESP® principles, LP-ESP® clinical results after 5-year follow-up, and CP-ESP® clinical results after 1-year follow-up.
Combined, the LP-ESP® and CP-ESP® benefit from more than 18 years of research. In contrast to spinal fusion, the ESP® discs preserve a patient’s spine mobility and mimic the natural disc properties, which is especially important for active and younger patients. Preserving the spine’s natural range of motion may also reduce the risk of adjacent disc disease complications associated with fusion. Using a minimally invasive anterior approach, the LP-ESP® and CP-ESP® are easy to implant and allow a short hospital stay and quick return to normal activity. The ESP® discs are also non-surface-bearing for increased life of the devices and have been tested up to 40 million cycles.
FH Orthopedics’ Spine Business Unit focuses exclusively on developing, distributing and supporting its spine disc prostheses. It offers surgeon training and complete instrumentation for the ESP® discs.