Quanta System S.p.A., the Italian manufacturer of surgical and medical laser systems, has received European recognition after Filippo Fagnani, Marketing and Scientific Director of its Surgical Division, was presented with the Significant Contribution to Endourology award at the International Conference on Endourology, ICE26, in Valencia, Spain, on October 10, 2026. The honour, presented within the European Association of Urology’s Endourology Section, acknowledges Fagnani’s contribution to developing laser technologies that connect engineering innovation with the practical requirements of endoscopic urological surgery.
The recognition follows more than two decades of Fagnani’s involvement in laser technology and comes as Quanta System expands its international surgical business, develops additional laser platforms and strengthens its presence in the United States. His contributions include work associated with the company’s Vapor Tunnel, Virtual Basket and Quanta Magneto technologies, which are designed to provide additional control over laser energy delivery during endourological procedures. These innovations are particularly relevant to urinary stone fragmentation, where laser pulse characteristics can influence stone movement, fragmentation efficiency and surgical workflow.
The award is a professional recognition rather than a regulatory endorsement or a finding of clinical superiority for any particular Quanta System product. Nevertheless, it provides an opportunity to examine how established holmium laser platforms are adapting to competition from newer thulium fiber laser systems and how manufacturers are seeking differentiation through pulse modulation, surgical versatility and closer collaboration with clinicians. For Quanta System, the commercial implications extend beyond an individual honour to the company’s product development programme, growing international operations and position within the wider medical laser business of El.En. S.p.A.
Why did the European Association of Urology recognise Filippo Fagnani’s contribution to endourology?
The European Association of Urology’s Endourology Section recognised Fagnani for his longstanding involvement in translating the requirements of practising urologists into laser technology development. Unlike awards focused on clinical research or surgical teaching, the Significant Contribution to Endourology recognition can acknowledge the work of professionals who help develop the instruments and technologies used by surgeons. Fagnani’s engineering background is central to this distinction because his career has concentrated on bridging the gap between the physical characteristics of laser systems and the operational demands of endoscopic procedures.
At ICE26, European Association of Urology Endourology Section chair Professor Olivier Traxer acknowledged Fagnani’s extensive contribution to laser development and his willingness to work with clinicians on technology improvements. The conference’s official account described the recognition as an award selected by Traxer, rather than the outcome of a formal comparative evaluation of commercial medical devices. The distinction is relevant because it places the honour within the context of professional contribution and collaboration without suggesting that the association has endorsed Quanta System’s products over competing technologies.
The 2026 award follows the inaugural recognition in 2025, when Dr. Gregory Altshuler was honoured for his pioneering contribution to laser technology in urology. Fagnani’s selection reinforces the role of engineering and industry expertise in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery, particularly in a specialty where developments in energy delivery, optics and instrument design can alter how procedures are performed. The award also reflects a broader industry relationship in which manufacturers depend on structured clinical feedback to identify technical limitations and develop new operating modes.
Quanta System Chief Executive Officer Girolamo Lionetti attributed the company’s innovation record to teamwork and the ability to translate technical ideas into clinically usable technologies. Fagnani similarly emphasised that product development should begin with surgeons’ practical requirements rather than technological complexity alone. Such collaboration may help manufacturers prioritise useful improvements, although its clinical value ultimately needs to be demonstrated through appropriately designed studies and real-world use.
How do Quanta System’s Virtual Basket, Vapor Tunnel and Magneto technologies work in laser lithotripsy?
Quanta System’s surgical laser portfolio includes holmium and thulium-based platforms used in urological procedures, including the management of urinary stones and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Within the holmium laser category, the company has developed pulse-modulation technologies intended to influence the interaction between laser energy, surrounding fluid and targeted stone material. Virtual Basket, Vapor Tunnel and Quanta Magneto represent different approaches to adjusting energy delivery rather than three entirely separate types of laser generator.
Stone retropulsion is one of the technical challenges associated with laser lithotripsy, particularly when treating stones in the ureter. Laser pulses can cause fragments or the stone itself to move away from the fiber, potentially complicating fragmentation, requiring instrument repositioning or increasing procedural complexity. Pulse-modulation techniques seek to manage the interaction between the laser pulse and the target, with the objective of improving energy delivery and limiting unwanted stone movement under suitable operating conditions.
Virtual Basket and Vapor Tunnel are proprietary holmium laser pulse-modulation modes associated with Quanta System’s Cyber Ho platform. Their development reflects the industry’s interest in achieving better control over fragmentation and dusting without necessarily requiring a fundamentally different laser source. Dusting refers to the production of smaller stone particles, while fragmentation can produce larger pieces that may require retrieval, with the appropriate approach depending on stone characteristics and the planned procedure.
Quanta Magneto Technology extends the company’s holmium laser development strategy by altering pulse characteristics to produce a different energy-delivery profile. Quanta System describes the technology as combining desirable characteristics associated with holmium systems and thulium fiber laser performance, particularly for dusting applications. However, similarities in pulse behaviour or laboratory performance do not establish equivalence across all clinical situations, and outcomes depend on the laser settings, stone characteristics, anatomy, instrumentation and surgeon technique.
What does published clinical research reveal about Quanta System’s laser performance?
The clinical evidence surrounding Quanta System’s pulse-modulation technologies is more informative than the award announcement itself, although individual studies have important limitations. A randomized study published in 2024 compared Vapor Tunnel and Virtual Basket in 186 patients undergoing holmium laser treatment for proximal ureteral stones. Investigators reported broadly comparable procedural results, with one-month stone-free rates of 97.8% and 95.7%, respectively, and no statistically significant difference between the groups. Operative times, dusting times and several complication measures were also comparable, suggesting that the two technologies offered similar clinical performance in the studied setting.
A separate study published in 2025 examined Virtual Basket against Quanta Magneto pulse modulation in 80 patients undergoing treatment for proximal ureteral stones, with 40 patients in each group. Investigators reported stone retropulsion in 15% of patients treated with Virtual Basket compared with 5% in the Magneto group, a difference that reached statistical significance with a reported p-value of 0.04. The Magneto group also had a numerically higher stone-free rate of 97.5%, compared with 92.5% for Virtual Basket, but that comparison did not meet conventional statistical significance at the reported p-value of 0.06.
These findings provide a clinically relevant signal concerning stone movement during treatment, but they do not establish that Magneto consistently produces superior patient outcomes across different procedures, surgeons or patient populations. The study was relatively small, and improvements in individual procedural measures should not automatically be interpreted as reductions in complications, hospital stays or repeat interventions. Larger prospective comparisons with appropriate controls and consistent outcome definitions would provide stronger evidence about whether particular pulse-modulation techniques produce meaningful benefits in routine practice.
More recent laboratory research published in 2026 compared thulium fiber laser technology against several high-power holmium laser pulse-modulation systems, including Magneto, Vapor Tunnel and Virtual Basket. The artificial stone study found that a thulium fiber laser using a 200-micrometre fiber produced greater ablation volumes in many tested configurations, although statistically significant differences were not demonstrated across every comparison. Because the investigation used an experimental model rather than patients, its findings are most useful for understanding technical performance under controlled conditions rather than predicting clinical outcomes.
The combined evidence illustrates why surgical laser innovation increasingly requires evaluation at multiple levels. Laboratory experiments can clarify energy-delivery characteristics, while clinical studies can determine whether those characteristics improve meaningful outcomes under real procedural conditions. For Quanta System, the opportunity is to demonstrate that advances in pulse modulation translate into benefits that justify their adoption within established surgical workflows.
How is competition between holmium and thulium fiber lasers changing endourological surgery?
Holmium:YAG laser systems have been established tools in endoscopic urinary stone treatment for many years, but newer thulium fiber laser technologies have expanded the available choices for urologists. The European Association of Urology’s urolithiasis guidance identifies both holmium:YAG and thulium fiber lasers as effective options for flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy. The guidance also reflects the mixed comparative evidence, with some studies identifying procedural advantages for thulium fiber lasers while broader assessments have not consistently established superiority across clinically important outcomes.
This competitive environment is relevant to Quanta System because manufacturers can pursue differentiation through more than raw laser power. Pulse duration, pulse frequency, available fibers, heat generation, energy distribution and instrument compatibility can all influence procedural performance. The clinical usefulness of individual features may vary according to the treatment technique and the surgeon’s preferred approach, making versatility and predictable operation potentially valuable alongside technical performance.
Quanta System’s portfolio strategy encompasses both established holmium technology and thulium-based systems, allowing the company to address different surgical preferences without relying entirely on one laser architecture. Its Cyber Ho systems serve applications including lithotripsy and holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, while the Fiber Dust family addresses thulium fiber laser applications. The breadth of that portfolio could support discussions with hospitals seeking equipment for multiple urological procedures, although the practical value of multi-application capability depends on local procedural volumes and the particular system configuration.
Competition also extends beyond equipment specifications into training, maintenance, disposable fibers and technical support. Medical institutions considering a new laser system need to evaluate acquisition costs alongside expected utilisation, ongoing consumable expenditure and the availability of qualified staff. A theoretically faster procedure does not automatically create measurable hospital savings unless the improvement is sufficiently reliable to affect theatre scheduling, staffing requirements or other operational costs.
What does the ICE26 recognition mean for Quanta System’s international surgical laser business?
The award arrives during a period of measurable commercial growth for Quanta System, which forms part of the publicly traded Italian laser manufacturer El.En. S.p.A. According to the group’s financial disclosures, Quanta System generated approximately €91.19 million in revenue during the first half of 2026, compared with €85.13 million in the corresponding period of 2025. This represents revenue growth of approximately 7.1%, while operating profit before interest and taxes increased from approximately €18.80 million to €21.61 million.
Those figures demonstrate that Quanta System’s broader operations were expanding before the October recognition, but they should not be interpreted as revenue generated exclusively by surgical urology products. The company’s activities also extend to aesthetic and dermatological laser systems, and the disclosed subsidiary-level financial performance encompasses a wider commercial portfolio. Similarly, the award announcement did not include new orders, sales guidance or a product-specific financial forecast that would establish an immediate effect on revenue.
A more consequential commercial development occurred earlier in 2026, when Quanta System established a direct United States subsidiary headquartered in North Carolina to support its surgical and urology business. The company described the operation as a means of strengthening relationships with physicians, improving technical and clinical support and creating a more direct channel for product feedback. El.En.’s first-half financial reporting subsequently identified a positive contribution from the new subsidiary, giving the international expansion strategy a measurable operating dimension.
Direct market operations can give a medical equipment manufacturer greater influence over customer relationships and service delivery than arrangements conducted entirely through independent distribution partners. They can also introduce additional responsibilities involving staffing, inventory, field support, regulatory compliance and operating expenditure. For Quanta System, the relevant commercial indicators will include sustained equipment sales, service capability, customer retention and the ability to convert its clinical relationships into recurring business without weakening profitability.
El.En. shares trade on Euronext Milan under the ticker ELN, making Quanta System’s financial performance relevant to the parent company’s broader medical technology business. However, a professional award is fundamentally different from a material product approval, acquisition or earnings announcement, and there is no basis for attributing a share-price movement to the recognition alone. Investors evaluating Quanta System’s contribution are more likely to focus on subsequent financial disclosures, geographic expansion and the commercial performance of its surgical platforms.
How could Quanta System’s 2027 laser development plans strengthen its urology portfolio?
The group’s 2026 interim reporting identifies an additional technology development programme that provides context for Quanta System’s longer-term priorities. Research and development activities during the first half focused partly on new fiber laser platforms for urological applications, with higher peak-power capabilities than existing product-range standards. The stated objective is to improve performance when treating particularly hard urinary stones, with commercial introduction targeted for 2027.
This work remains a development programme rather than an established clinical or commercial outcome. Higher laser power alone does not guarantee better treatment results, particularly when performance is influenced by pulse configuration, stone composition, irrigation and thermal management. Demonstrating a meaningful advantage may require laboratory testing, clinical evaluation and compliance with applicable medical device regulatory requirements before broader market introduction.
The same financial disclosures also describe work to redesign components associated with sterile optical fibers and disposable devices, including connector and fiber-support systems. The programme includes manufacturing automation, capacity improvement and cost optimisation, alongside efforts to improve how different fiber types are identified and handled. Such developments may have operational relevance because medical laser systems depend on reliable accessories and consumables as well as the underlying generator.
If executed successfully, the combination of upgraded laser platforms and improved disposable-device production could contribute to Quanta System’s competitive position beyond any single product feature. Hospitals assess not only how equipment performs during surgery but also whether compatible consumables are consistently available and whether technical support can minimise disruption. The company’s ability to align device development, manufacturing and clinical requirements will therefore be an important measure of its progress toward the next planned product generation.
Why will clinical validation and hospital adoption remain central to Quanta System’s next stage of growth?
The next commercial test for Quanta System is not simply whether it can introduce additional laser emission modes, but whether surgeons and hospitals consider those capabilities sufficiently useful to influence equipment purchasing decisions. Stronger comparative evidence could help establish the conditions under which specific pulse-modulation technologies improve outcomes or operational efficiency. Equally, data showing comparable performance across technologies can support purchasing decisions based on reliability, versatility, costs and service rather than claims of technical superiority alone.
Endourology is particularly sensitive to differences between technical performance and clinically meaningful benefit. A laser system that fragments artificial stones efficiently may not necessarily reduce complications or repeat procedures in complex patients, while a technology that reduces stone movement during treatment may still produce similar stone-free outcomes to an established alternative. Studies that incorporate patient outcomes, procedural efficiency and relevant safety measures will be more informative for clinicians and institutional purchasers than isolated engineering specifications.
The ICE26 recognition nevertheless highlights an important aspect of medical device development that can be difficult to capture through financial reporting or product specifications. Engineers working closely with clinicians can identify practical constraints that influence how technologies are designed, refined and used, making the relationship between manufacturers and surgical teams a meaningful part of the innovation process. Fagnani’s career illustrates that contribution, while Quanta System’s existing portfolio and ongoing development programmes provide the industrial setting in which it has taken place.
For Quanta System, the recognition comes alongside established commercial operations, peer-reviewed research involving its laser technologies and a planned expansion of its urology product range. The most consequential milestones will be the clinical evidence supporting newer systems, the progress of the company’s 2027 development programme and the operating results of its expanded United States business. Those outcomes will determine how effectively the engineering expertise recognised in Valencia translates into sustained clinical relevance and commercial performance.