Cardiac shock-wave therapy in the treatment of refractive angina pectoris

An increasing number of patients are being diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease not amenable to traditional revascularization. Most of them remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy, so the resulting qualiy of life is poor. Thus, there is a need for the development of novel therapies. Shock waves (SWs) have been used in medicine for 30 years, but the recent discovery of their potential angiogenic effect has led to their most promising application in cardiovascular medicine. Cardiac SW therapy delivered to ischemic myocardium has been demonstrated to reduce angina symptoms and to improve myocardial perfusion. And although there is a lack of large series and long-term follow-up, cardiac SW therapy is by now a safe, well-tolerated procedure with no significant side effects.