Tag: Healthtronics

Austin, TX Nov 20, 2014 — HealthTronics President, Russell Newman and Director of Media Relations and the ‘Voice’ of the Texas Stars, Brien Rea sit down with midday anchor, Brian Mays at KVUE-TV (ABC) to discuss Movember. HealthTronics has partnered with the Texas Stars to help increase awareness and funds for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer. Employees and Texas Stars players have ditched their razors this month in honor of no-shave November and showed off their sprouting mustaches and beards. Click the link below to see the interview:
http://www.kvue.com/videos/news/local/2014/11/19/19275697/

Current generation technology is an effective option for localized prostate cancer
Austin, TX Sep 24, 2014 — September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society®, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer striking men after skin cancer.1 Thanks to advances in diagnosis and treatment, prostate cancer has one of the highest survival rates of any type of cancer.1 Treatment options include prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate), radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and cryoablation (cryotherapy).2
While the majority of prostate cancers are treated with radiation and surgery, the minimally invasive, localized procedure known as cryotherapy is gaining more interest, particularly, for cancers in older men and for recurring prostate cancer.
Localized Cancer Treatment
Cryotherapy uses freezing technology to kill cancerous tissue. Different from radiation, which can require up to 45 treatments, cryotherapy is usually a one-time treatment. As an outpatient procedure, cryotherapy patients typically have minimal pain and are able to return to normal activities shortly after their procedure.
When Cancer Comes Back
According to a study in the Reviews in Urology, approximately one third of the 233,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year will undergo radiation.3 Unfortunately, the cancer will return in 20% to 66% of these men. 3
One of those men is 67-year-old Ronald Wolters. Wolters was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 and opted for radiation as a first line treatment. He underwent 45 radiation treatments over a nine week period, but approximately a year ago, his PSA levels began to rise, a sign that the radiation did not kill all of his cancer.
“When my doctor explained that cryotherapy was an option for me, I wholeheartedly agreed to undergo the procedure,” explained Wolters. “The idea that freezing technology could potentially kill the cancer was extremely exciting to me.”
Salvage therapy, also known as rescue therapy, is a form of treatment administered when other therapies have not been successful. A growing amount of evidence supports the use of cryotherapy for patients with localized prostate cancer following radiation therapy, according to an editorial in European Urology.4
“It’s a sad truth that one out of four men will have recurrent prostate cancer after radiation therapy. Many of those patients are told there are no other options,” explained Dr. Eric Giesler, a urologist with the Urology Team in Austin, Texas. “Cryotherapy is a viable, minimally-invasive treatment where many patients go home the same day.”
Wolters was also impressed with the little downtime of cryotherapy. “I was back on the golf course within a week, doing what I love most.”
Current Generation Technology Has Fewer Side Effects
Early cryotherapy treatments in the 1960s used liquid nitrogen to create an ice ball to freeze tissue. Use of nitrogen, however, lacked precise control and monitoring, resulting in high complication rates.
The treatment has since been revolutionized and has transitioned to argon–based systems, which use ultrathin needles to create precisely controlled ice balls. Ultrasound imaging has also evolved with cryotherapy and provides visualization of the generated ice ball. Cryoablation now incorporates routine use of advanced sensing probes, double freeze–thaw cycles, and urethral warming catheters. When used together, these technical advances, along with improvements in technique, have led to reductions in side effects.
It is important to note, however, as with any treatment for prostate cancer, side effects may occur after cryotherapy. These side effects may include loss of urinary control, injury to the rectum, and loss of sexual function.
“Unfortunately, many of the treatments we use to kill prostate cancer come with potential side effects such as incontinence,” said Dr. Giesler. “Fortunately, with the improvements in cryotherapy we’ve seen in the last decade, the occurrence of incontinence has been dramatically reduced and is often only a temporary side effect.”
Cryotherapy is also used to treat cancers of the kidneys and lungs, as well as treating liver metastases and providing palliative intervention for cancer.
For more information, visit www.StopCancerCold.com
Interview Opportunities:
Dr. Eric Giesler, Urologist, Urology Team, Austin, Texas
Ronald Wolters, Prostate cancer patient who underwent Cryotherapy procedure
1 http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-key-statistics
2 http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-treating-general-info
3 Lam JS and Belldegrun AS: Salvage Cryosurgery of the Prostate after Radiation Failure. Rev. Urol. 2004; 6(Suppl. 4):S27-S36.
4 Jones JS: Radiorecurrent Prostate Cancer: An Emerging and Largely Mismanaged Epidemic. Eur. Uro. 2011; 60:411-412.
About HealthTronics
HealthTronics, Inc., established in 1989 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, provides integrated urological and interventional radiology products and services, as well as physician partnership opportunities. The company brings its advanced technology and support systems to health care providers throughout the United States. For more information visit www.healthtronics.com.
STOP CANCER COLD and ENDOCARE are trademarks of Endocare, Inc., registered in the U.S. with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. The HT HEALTHTRONICS logo is a trademark of HealthTronics, Inc. The AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY is a registered trademark of the American Cancer Society, Inc.

Laser Surgical Device Expands Minimally Invasive, Mobile Technology Portfolio
Austin, TX Sep 22, 2014 — HealthTronics, Inc., a leading provider of integrated urological and interventional radiology products and services, has signed a distribution agreement through its Endocare, Inc. subsidiary with Clinicon Corporation for its high precision laser technology. The addition expands HealthTronics’ portfolio of minimally invasive, mobile, surgical technology—offering more choices for healthcare providers and their patients.
Under the agreement, HealthTronics will make available Clinicon’s FDA-cleared SureLase™ CO2 Laser System and Fiber Accessories to physicians, hospitals, surgical centers and other health care providers for a wide range of surgical specialties.
HealthTronics and Clinicon will jointly exhibit at the AAO-HNSF 2014 in Orlando to address the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) market. Some of the most common ENT surgeries performed with the SureLase™ CO2 Laser System include micro laryngoscopies, bronchoscopies, and stapedectomies.
“Clinicon’s high precision laser technology replaces bulky articulating mirror arms with thin fiber optics to reduce trauma to patients during laser surgical procedures. This makes it a natural complement to our portfolio of minimally invasive mobile products,” said Russell Newman, President of HealthTronics.
Clinicon’s surgical tools are used to deliver CO2 laser energy for incision, ablation and coagulation or cauterization of soft tissue. The CO2 laser, often known as the original “surgical laser,” most resembles the traditional surgical instruments for cutting, ablation and coagulation.
Since becoming an independent company in February 2014, HealthTronics has pursued a strategy to expand its portfolio of minimally invasive mobile technology. Said Newman, “With mobile technology, health care providers can offer more comprehensive care efficiently and effectively by not taking on large capital costs and maintenance. That’s an advantage for the provider and the patient.”
To date, HealthTronics has added nerve monitoring equipment for use during robotic prostate surgery and targeted microwave energy for ablation of soft tissues. Other technologies currently offered by the company include Endocare® cryotherapy systems for ablation of prostate, kidney and lung cancer tumors, lithotripters for fragmenting kidney stones and lasers for treating benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

HealthTronics Announces Data Comparing Cryotherapy Versus Radiation for Treating Prostate Cancer
Austin, TX Sep 18, 2014 — HealthTronics, Inc., a leading provider of integrated urological and interventional radiology products and services, announced that a poster related to cryosurgery (also known as cryotherapy and cryoablation) versus external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is being presented at the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association (MAAUA) Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland September 18-21, 2014.
“Comparing Relative Effectiveness of Cryosurgery and External Beam Radiation as Treatments for Localized Prostate Cancer,” Poster P2 from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014.
Retrospective data were collected from 181 patients who underwent cryotherapy and 40 patients who were treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) since 2002. Post-treatment PSA levels (a common blood test used to screen for prostate cancer) were tracked in the patients for up to 10 years and the occurrence of complications was recorded.
Data found no significant difference in biochemical failure rates between the two treatments after one year post-treatment (χ2 = 0.698, p-value = 0.404) or five years post-treatment (χ2 = 0.066, p-value = 0.797). Most complications occurred with statistically equal frequency in both treatment groups, but gastrointestinal problems were more common in radiation patients than in cryotherapy patients (χ2 = 19.261, p-value = 0.000).
The results suggest that cryoablation of the prostate is as effective a treatment as EBRT. As more long term cryotherapy data becomes available, it may move into a favorable position as a first line therapy for localized prostate cancer. Limitations of research in this field are lack of randomized trials and consensus in defining treatment failure.*
“Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in American men with nearly 250,000 diagnosed each year,” said Anshu Guleria, MD, urologist. “These data help to shed a light on the variety of effective treatment options available for fighting prostate cancer.”

Extending Access to Exceptional Therapies
Austin, TX Aug 28, 2014 — Established in 1989 and headquartered in Austin, Texas,, HealthTronics provides integrated urological and interventional radiology products and services, as well as physician partnership opportunities. The company brings its advanced technology and support systems to health care providers across the United States.
Healthtronics products and services include:
• Lithotripsy services
• Endocare cryotherapy
• Laser equipment rentals
• Microwave therapy
• Monitoring of nerves during surgery

Austin, TX Aug 15, 2014 — HealthTronics, Inc. has acquired three mobile lithotripsy service companies, Baltimore Lithotripsy Associates (BLA), American Mobile Advantage and American Mobile Advantage CA (collectively AMA), thereby expanding its fleet of mobilized technology for urological care.
BLA and AMA have been providing lithotripsy services in and around the Mid-Atlantic region, Northern California and the state of Washington for over a dozen years.
“The acquisitions underscore our mission to provide exceptional and effective technologies that improve patient care,” said Russell Newman, President of HealthTronics. “Health care providers will have easier access to lithotripsy technology as well as HealthTronics’ broad portfolio of interventional radiology and urology solutions.”
Newman said the acquisition strengthens HealthTronics relationship with the regions’ hospitals and large urology group practices, and also complements the company’s strategic goal—to support and grow its core mobile technology and services business. “By mobilizing more technology, we can effectively and efficiently accommodate the needs of any size health care provider, from comprehensive medical centers to remote and rural communities.”
Lithotripsy, a noninvasive procedure for treating kidney stones, uses shock waves to break the stone into small particles to allow the body to more easily pass it out. Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. According to the National Kidney Foundation®, one in ten people in the United States will have a kidney stone during their lifetime and over half a million people a year go to the emergency room for treatment (http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones.cfm).
Since divesting from Endo International plc in February 2014, HealthTronics has focused on expanding its portfolio of products and services, including seeking FDA clearance for additional therapeutic applications of its existing cryotherapy technology.
Other technologies offered by HealthTronics include Endocare® cryotherapy systems for ablation of prostate, kidney and lung cancer tumors, lasers for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), microwave ablation systems for treating soft tissue and nerve monitoring equipment for use during robotic prostate surgery.

HealthTronics Expands Minimally Invasive, Cancer Technology Portfolio
Now independent, company seeks new partners as part of strategic growth
Austin, TX Jul 8, 2014 — HealthTronics, Inc., a leading provider of integrated urological and interventional radiology products and services, has signed a distribution agreement through its Endocare, Inc. subsidiary with HS Medical, Inc. that expands HealthTronics’ technology portfolio to include a new, targeted ablation solution.
Under the agreement, HealthTronics will make available HS Medical’s new generation of HS Amica® microwave ablation apparatus to health care providers and their patients. (www.hsmedicalinc.com)
Microwave ablation is a targeted, minimally invasive procedure that uses a “heating probe” to ablate soft tissue. The procedure works by applying heat directly into the tissue through the probe, which agitates water molecules in the tissue, generates heat, and causes ablation of the tissue. The HS Amica® system is FDA-cleared for thermal ablation of soft tissue other than cardiac tissue and is typically used for ablation of liver, lung and kidney tissue. Its exclusive “mini-choke” technology provides optimum control of the microwave field within the ablation target.
“Microwave ablation complements our technology portfolio of minimally invasive, targeted approaches to treating tissue,” said Russell Newman, President of HealthTronics. “The agreement also underscores our commitment to bring to doctors and patients products that meet their needs—namely, minimally invasive, economical and effective.”
Newman says that since becoming an independent company following the divestiture from Endo International plc in February 2014, HealthTronics has been actively looking to expand its portfolio of products and services, including seeking FDA clearance for additional therapeutic applications of its existing cryotherapy technology.
The technologies currently offered by the company include Endocare® cryotherapy systems for ablation of prostate, kidney and lung cancer tumors, lithotripters for dissolving kidney stones, lasers for treating benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and nerve monitoring equipment for use during robotic prostate surgery.