DARTFORD, ENGLAND – Three years ago, Darent Valley Hospital added lithotripsy treatments through a partnership with DirexGroup, with European headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, to serve those patients suffering from kidney stones.  After an upgrade to the newest Direx, dual head, electromagnetic Duet Magna lithotripter, Darent Valley Hospital has elected to continue and expand on their relationship with Direx hoping to treat a larger number of patients in the years ahead.  “We have been very pleased with the equipment and service received from Direx," stated Alex Tan, Director of Surgical Services for Darent Valley Hospital. “We expect our patient volume for this treatment service to continue to grow and we needed the right equipment in place to do so.”  Darent Valley Hospital uses the Duet Magna lithotripter from Direx, the only dual head shockwave lithotripsy system on the market.  “The dual head approach allows us to treat patients more effectively and with less discomfort than other lithotripters on the market,” stated Mr Sriprasad, urological surgeon at Darent Valley. “We plan also to add an ultrasound unit which will allow us to treat additional patients.  We have been very pleased with the fragmentation results we have achieved with the Duet Magna over the past three years.”   The Duet Magna is a favored lithotripter in the industry as it allows for great flexibility.  Hospitals can use existing C-arms for xray imaging or purchase the C-arm of their choice.  This is also true of treatment tables, as Magna works with most tables on the market today.  The dual head feature has been shown to significantly reduce kidney damage while increasing the effectiveness of stone fragmentation. “Darent Valley is a very progressive hospital and a strong reference site for our company in the United Kingdom”, reported Niv Ein-Gal, Chief Operating Officer for DirexGroup. “They provide a perfect setting for our equipment as they are always looking for ways to improve their treatment environment for their patients.  We look forward to our extended contract with Darent Valley Hospital and look to expand to other UK hospitals.”

About DirexGroup
DirexGroup is a worldwide manufacturer of urological equipment serving over 70 countries around the world. Known for their groundbreaking Tripter X-1 developed in 1986, Direx equipment eventually became the standard in the industry. A collaboration with Initia (Medical Technologies) has resulted in many of the more interesting developments in ESWL in recent years.  Find out more at www.direxgroup.com.

Darent Valley Hospital is the most modern hospital in Kent built to care for a growing community.  It provides an extensive range of acute, mainly hospital-based health services to the people of Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, Bexley and neighbouring districts across South East London and Kent. Find out more about Darent Valley at www.dvh.nhs.uk .