MICRUS ENDOVASCULAR RECEIVES JAPANESE MARKETING APPROVAL

A system for the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms, received market approval from the ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to market the Micrus Endovascular system in Japan. The system includes the MicruSphere, HeliPaq and InterPaq embolic coils.

The Micros Endovascular Corporation believes that Japan represents a significant portion of the total Asian market that is estimated to produce about one-third of international cerebral vascular disease procedures revenues worldwide.

"Entry into the Japanese coiling market represents a significant revenue opportunity for Micrus," said John Kilcoyne, Micrus Endovascular president and CEO. "We expect to benefit from the continued growth in conversions from the highly invasive craniotomy and clipping procedure, which is currently performed on greater than 75 percent of aneurysms treated in Japan, to the minimally invasive coiling procedure."

Micrus Endovascular develops, manufactures and markets both implantable and disposable medical devices used in the treatment of cerebral vascular diseases. Micrus products are used by interventional neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons primarily to treat cerebral aneurysms responsible for hemorrhagic stroke.