Ultrasound-Guided Lithotripsy for Heel Spurs

A new extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) device has been developed for the treatment of plantar fasciitis, or heel spurs. The device has been cleared by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Called Epos Ultra, the lithotripsy device sends high-energy shock waves through the foot and starts the healing process by regenerating blood vessels in the injured area as well as providing an analgesic effect. The noninvasive, outpatient procedure may require only a single 30-minute session, according to Dornier MedTech (Atlanta, GA, USA), which invented the device. The company says it is the first and only shock wave therapy device with built-in ultrasound, enabling doctors to accurately pinpoint the treatment area.

Traditional treatments for heel spurs include anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, physical therapy, ice, and orthodics. Surgery, sometimes performed as a last resort, is successful in only 50% of cases. Dornier invented ESWT more than 20 years ago as a breakthrough treatment for kidney stones. The company is now evaluating other orthopedic applications.

"Many patients I treated in the Epos Ultra clinical trials experienced improvements and resolution of their symptoms during a short recovery period,” said George Theodore, M.D., an orthopedist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, USA) and an investigator in the clinical trials. "The use of ultrasound proved valuable, as it allowed patients to receive treatment with optimum precision.”




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