MODULITH® SLC

MODULITH® SLC – Pioneers in cardiology

MODULITH® SLC CARDIAC SHOCK WAVE THERAPY KARL STORZ and STORZ MEDICAL.

In 1999, STORZ MEDICAL was the first company worldwide to successfully use shock waves in cardiology for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris. 

Since then, we have continued to improve cardiac shock wave therapy in close co-operation with leading medical institutes.

Today, the innovative MODULITH® SLC is used with great success by many renowned clinical centres to treat refractory angina pectoris.

Electromagnetic cylindrical source

A strong command of shock wave technology is pivotal for effective cardiac shock wave application. The sensitive heart tissue requires precise control of all shock wave parameters to ensure maximum medical effectiveness while avoiding serious side effects such as those affecting the pulmonary tissue.

Being designed for penetration depths of between 0 and 150 mm, the MODULITH® SLC is well prepared to master any challenge in daily clinical practice, reaching target areas from the apex to the posterior wall of the myocardium.

Reproducible energy output The combination of electromagnetic cylindrical source and parabolic reflector ensures maximum stability of the energy output both at low and high energy levels.

ECG-controlled shock wave triggering ECG-controlled triggering means that shock waves are triggered within a few milliseconds after the QRS-complex of the ECG signal. Shock waves are applied exclusively during the refractory period of the cardiac cycle.

Biological effects of shock wave application Cardiac shock wave therapy

An imbalance between oxygen demand and oxygen supply of the myocardium may cause ischaemia, inflammation and cell apoptosis/ necrosis to occur successively.

Cardiac shock wave therapy (CSWT) is able to impact these processes by inducing mechanical and biochemical effects based on the interaction between the patient’s body tissue and the shock waves.

The high sound amplitude causes shear forces to act on the cell membranes, resulting in the activation of ion channels. In turn, these may give rise to nitric oxide (NO) and other free radicals, and cause the release of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and the activation of their receptors. This may improve blood circulation and angiogenesis.

Cardiac shock wave therapy (CSWT) 

Applications

  1. – Ischaemic heart failure
  2. – Coronary heart disease 
  3. – Angina pectoris

Among cardiovascular diseases, ischaemic heart disease is the most common cause of death in industrialized nations. Although medication or interventional procedures provide good results in the treatment of systolic heart failure, these therapies are not suitable for all affected patients due to the extra strain they put on the body. When treating diastolic heart failure, in particular, the medication and therapies available today are ineffective.

Non-invasive cardiac shock wave therapy performed on an outpatient basis provides a significant improvement of angina pectoris (graded according to the NYHA and CCS classification) while at the same time increasing physical performance capability1 .

Being a gentle treatment method with hardly any complications, CSWT can also be performed on risk patients to improve their quality of life (assessed through the SAQ) in the long term (results obtained over a 6-years follow-up period2).

Functional benefits MODULITH® SLC:

  1. The MODULITH® SLC can be used with different patient tables. Alignment of the individual system components is accomplished by motorized movement of the therapy source. As a result, it takes very little time to get the system components ready for treatment.
  2.  Designed with a small footprint, the MODULITH® SLC enables easy operator access to the patient and to the controls of the system components.
  3. Simple alignment and focus check by motorized therapy source positioning.
  4. The graphical user interface enables the operator to view and check all major system functions and status messages at a glance. A simple touch of a finger is needed to select preconfigured parking and therapy positions. This saves valuable time during treatment preparation.
  5. A 3D joystick mounted to the gel bottle holder of the ultrasound system is provided as an additional control option. This enables ergonomic localization of the target area while keeping everything under control. 
  6. The external ECG system is not only used for shock wave triggering, but also for continuous patient monitoring. It is mounted on a separate swivel arm and remains within the operator’s view at all times.
  7. The cylindrical design of the STORZ MEDICAL therapy coil enables convenient installation of the ultrasound transducer in the centre of the therapy head. As a result, the myocardium shown in the ultrasound image is displayed on the central therapy head axis. The position of the focal point is displayed directly in the ultrasound image by signal transmission. The in-line configuration of the diagnostic ultrasound transducer in the therapeutic shock wave source ensures that ultrasound waves used for localization and shock waves pass through the same tissue regions, with only minimal deviations between them. The fact that the localized treatment area coincides with the shock wave focus provides maximum targeting precision.
  8. In-line localization ensures that obstacles such as ribs are instantly visible in the ultrasound image and that sensitive regions such as the lungs can be reliably identified. Thanks to the unrestricted 360° rotation capability of the guide axis, the ultrasound transducer position can be perfectly adjusted to the intercostal sound window to ensure ideal imaging of the target area.