Volcano Announces Worldwide Exclusive Distribution Agreement With Lumen Biomedical...

Volcano Announces Worldwide Exclusive Distribution Agreement With Lumen
Biomedical for Xtract(TM) Thrombus Aspiration Catheter

Product Launch Highlights Volcano's Presence at 2009 EuroPCR

SAN DIEGO, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq:
VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing and sales of products for
the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease, today
announced an exclusive worldwide distribution agreement to initiate the formal
launch of the Xtract(TM) thrombus aspiration catheter, manufactured by Lumen
Biomedical. The Xtract(TM) thrombus aspiration catheter is available for
immediate sale in the U.S. and Europe. This marks Volcano's entry into what we
believe is a $70+ million aspiration market.

The Xtract(TM) thrombus aspiration catheter has been cleared by the FDA and is
CE marked for use in coronary vessels, as well as some peripheral vascular
applications. The device incorporates three unique design attributes that
enhance its performance. These include a single lumen design to maximize
cross-sectional area, and in turn, thrombus suction; a circular, right angle
tip for close-up access to clots; and a curved, directional tip to enable full
sweep of the vessel. These unique design features enable physicians to offer a
truly new approach for thrombus aspiration.

Scott Huennekens, President and CEO of Volcano, commented, "This distribution
agreement with Lumen Biomedical for the Xtract(TM) thrombus aspiration
catheter is perfectly aligned with our corporate strategy, and builds on the
unique value that Volcano offers to the interventional cardiology community.
Volcano does not believe that a one-size-fits-all technology is capable of
addressing complex disease states such as AMI, CTO and bifurcations, which
continue to challenge clinicians today. Instead, we feel that
application-specific tools such as IVUS-guided balloons, forward-looking IVUS
catheters and tissue composition technologies can better target and treat the
appropriate patient and lesion. Although our core technologies are certainly
applicable to less complex patients, our goal at Volcano is to become a leader
and trusted advisor for physicians' most challenging cases by providing a
tailored product portfolio complete with precision guidance tools and
state-of-the-art therapies. The Lumen Xtract(TM) thrombus aspiration catheter
now gives us a second generation aspiration catheter to complement our IVUS
and VH IVUS imaging tools in these challenging AMI patients. This expansion of
our product offerings is very consistent with our multi-modality platform
strategy, and the theme of our PCR symposium this week--Treat the right
patient and the right lesion, the right way."

Jim Margolis, Director, Cardiovascular Research and Education, Miami
International Cardiology Consultants, commented, "We have been using the
Xtract catheter at Jackson Memorial Hospital since October 2008. In my view,
compared to other thrombectomy catheters I have used, this device is in a
generation of its own. It tracks better, removes an order of magnitude more
debris, and resists kinking. Because of its ease of use and effectiveness,
some of us have begun using it on non-STEMI patients as well as STEMI
patients."

Matt Ogle, President and CEO of Lumen Biomedical, commented, "We are thrilled
to have Volcano as our exclusive worldwide partner for the distribution of the
Xtract(TM) device. We feel that the Xtract(TM) catheter is a best-in-class
aspiration device, and can mirror the success that Volcano has had in IVUS
which now commands more than 50% of the U.S. imaging market. Lumen Biomedical
is excited to leverage the global reach of Volcano's 130 plus direct sales and
training professionals in the U.S. and Europe."

Mr. Huennekens continued, "The use of thrombus aspiration in AMI patients has
increased dramatically, fueled by the positive one-year results of the TAPAS
study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. However,
aspiration is only a part of the solution. Our early experience with IVUS and
VH IVUS in AMI patients suggests that the site of the minimum lumen diameter
as seen by angiography is often not at the site of the suspected plaque
rupture, but may instead be a downstream aggregation of thrombotic debris.
Repeated case examples have demonstrated that the true culprit of the culprit
lesion is often found upstream of the angiographic blockage, suggesting that
angiographic guidance alone is often inadequate, and may be misleading. With
more precise imaging, and a more complete portfolio of lesion specific tools,
Volcano is on our way toward positioning ourselves as an important AMI
resource in the cath lab."

Volcano is hosting an evening symposium at this year's PCR congress titled
"What matters more in PCI: the type of DES you use... or optimizing acute
procedural outcomes?" The objective of this program is to outline how IVUS,
VH(R) IVUS and fractional flow reserve (FFR) can optimize acute procedural
outcomes in acute coronary syndrome as well as elective patient populations
and is chaired by Prof. M. Rothman. Speakers include; Dr. J.M. de la Torre
Hernandez, Prof. Dr. med M. Haude, Dr. D. Dudek, and Dr. B. de Bruyne. The
symposium will be held on Thursday May 21st, from 17:00 - 18:30 in room 3 at
the Forum CCIB Convention Center in Barcelona, Spain. Please visit the Volcano
booth B02 for more information on the symposium, multiple live case
transmissions, product demonstrations or hands-on FFR, IVUS and OCT education.

About Volcano

Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) offers a broad suite of devices designed to
facilitate endovascular procedures, enhance the diagnosis of vascular and
structural heart disease and guide optimal therapies. The company's
intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) product line includes ultrasound consoles that
can be integrated directly into virtually any modern cath lab. Volcano IVUS
offers unique features, including both single-use phased array and rotational
IVUS imaging catheters, and advanced functionality options, such as VH(R) IVUS
tissue characterization and ChromaFlo(R). Volcano also provides functional
measurement (FM) consoles and single-use pressure and flow guide wires and is
developing a line of ultra-high resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
and Forward Looking IVUS systems and catheters. Currently, more than 4,200
Volcano IVUS and FM systems are installed worldwide, with approximately half
of its revenues coming from outside the United States. Volcano also develops
and manufactures optical monitors, lasers and optical engines used in OCT
imaging systems and advanced photonic components and subsystems used in
spectroscopy and other industrial applications. For more information, visit
the company's website at http://www.volcanocorp.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in
this release regarding Volcano's business that are not historical facts may be
considered "forward-looking statements," including statements regarding the
features, functionality and potential benefits of our products and patient
outcomes, the market potential of the XtractTM catheter acceptance and
adoption of the company's technology and growth and market development.
Forward-looking statements are based on management's current preliminary
expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause
Volcano's results to differ materially and adversely from the statements
contained herein. Some of the potential risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are detailed in the
company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other
filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance
should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the
date they are made. Volcano undertakes no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances
after the date they were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.

SOURCE Volcano Corporation

Joe Burnett, Vice President, Marketing and Business Unit Leader, Image Guided
Therapy of Volcano Corporation, jburnett@volcanocorp.com