Volcano Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, has signed an agreement to acquire the Pioneer Plus diagnostic ultrasound transducer and percutaneous catheter from Medtronic, Inc.. The Pioneer Plus “re-entry” catheter, which has regulatory clearance in the U.S. and Europe as well as other geographies, is an interventional medical device designed to enable the crossing of sub-total, total and chronic total occlusions (CTOs) within the peripheral vasculature, potentially eliminating the need for surgery. Volcano’s IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound) technology is used to direct the guidewire past stenotic lesions prior to additional interventions, such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement by providing a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the area of interest. “We have been providing our IVUS technology in combination with the Pioneer Plus for many years,” said Scott Huennekens, Volcano’s president and chief executive officer.
“Being able to now offer this device within Volcano’s already broad portfolio of products will serve our strategy of increasing our presence in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It also furthers our continued evolution from purely a diagnostic company to one that offers a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic devices. Clinical experience suggests that utilizing IVUS visualization with the Pioneer Plus aids in assessing the varying degrees of stenosis and may result in improved patient outcomes. We believe that adding the Pioneer Plus to our current portfolio of products will help facilitate further penetration of our diagnostic IVUS and FFR technologies in peripheral procedures”.
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