UPDATE 1-Arseus Q3 sales up 18 pct, holds mid-term target

* Q3 turnover 80.6 mln euros vs 81.8 mln market forecast

* On track to meet 500 mln euros turnover target in 2010

* No material impact from macro-economic climate

BRUSSELS, Oct 14 (Reuters ) - Belgian medical wholesaler Arseus NV (RCUS.BR) fell slightly short of market expectations on Tuesday with a 17.8 percent rise in third-quarter sales and said it was on track to meet its 2010 sales target.

"Arseus has not felt any material impact from the present macro-economic climate on its operations, its liquidity position, solvency or profitability compared to the first six months of 2008," the company said.

Sales for the July-September period rose to 80.6 million euros ($109.8 million) from 68.4 million euros a year earlier, a like-for-like increase of 8.6 percent.

That compared with the average forecast from a Reuters poll of five analysts of 81.7 million euros.

Arseus's dental division and Fagron, a unit supplying pharmaceutical ingredients to hospitals and clinics, were the clear outperformers with growth excluding acquisitions of 31.7 and 20.5 percent respectively.

Turnover fell again at the medical equipment division, down 6.9 percent, as a legal change in Belgium meant clinics were hiring rather than buying wheelchairs.

At IT division Corilius, sales were down 1.6 percent. Arseus said the fact that new software packages would be launched from the fourth quarter had had an impact.

Arseus, which sells products ranging from dental chairs to surgical instruments and pharmaceutical ingredients, said it should achieve its target of sales of 500 million euros in 2010.

The company has a 2008 forecast of like-for-like growth of 7 to 8 percent. Growth in the first nine months was 7.4 percent. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Erica Billingham)