LITHOSKOP is a multifunctional workstation, offering a unique design with an X-ray source and therapy head that freely move around the patient. Perhaps the greatest advantage it provides is that a patient no longer has to be repositioned during intervention. Nearly all treatments can be performed with the patient in the supine position, which is more comfortable for the patient. These factors help ensure a smooth workflow, which is growing in importance due to the ever increasing restrictions on cost reimbursements. In addition, data are stored digitally - providing comprehensive networking capabilities.

Professor, Jens Rassweiler, MD, Head of the Department of Urology at the Klinik am Gesundbrunnen in Heilbronn, Germany, was involved in the product development of the LITHOSKOP and uses the system for most urological and some orthopedic applications. He especially appreciates the many options available to him as a result of the multifunctionality provided by LITHOSKOP. “The decision for or against a procedure no longer needs to be made based on available equipment, but rather based solely on medical necessity,” explains the urologist. Benefits are also apparent for treatment of benign enlarged prostates. Rassweiler excises small volumes using electro surgery and removes them via the urethra; for larger volumes he uses the holmium laser. Since all endoscopic sequences are presented live on the LITHOSKOP monitors, the urologist always has the best view.

At the Mainz Johannes-Gutenberg University Hospital, Germany, the urology team uses LITHOSKOP primarily for shockwave therapy. Since its installation two years ago, Professor Joachim W. Thüroff, Director of the Urology Department, and Andreas Neisius, MD, have been investigating the effectiveness and safety of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy in a clinical study on patients suffering from kidney stones. According to Neisius, the efficiency of LITHOSKOP was 1.3 treatments per patient and the repeat treatment rate was only 21 percent. Thüroff explains the significance of this, “According to current [German] regulations, only one shockwave treatment per patient is paid. Repeat treatments are at the hospital’s expense. Thüroff claims that means that every percentage point creates significant costs for the department. Thanks to its versatile use and treatment efficiency, LITHOSKOP helps improve patient care and ensure cost savings.