June 1, 2010 (FinancialWire) — SonoSite, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO), a specialist in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound, said that it has signed an agreement to acquire privately held Visualsonics, a Toronto-based company focused on ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology. The aggregate transaction value will be around $71 million net of cash and debt.

Visualsonics offers real-time ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound that presently serves the pre-clinical research market. Founded in 1999 by Stuart Foster, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Visualsonics’ micro-ultrasound technology uses five times the center frequency range currently used in conventional ultrasound systems.

The technology enables the visualization of superficial anatomy on small living animals with microscopic detail, discerning features as small as 40 microns (versus conventional ultrasound, which visualize 200 microns).

According to SonoSite, Visualsonics’ technology has the potential to pave the way for a new era of extreme high-resolution ultrasound imaging of superficial anatomy in clinical medicine.

The acquisition is conditioned upon approval by Visualsonics’ shareholders as well as the satisfaction of other customary conditions. Approval by SonoSite’s shareholders is not required.

SonoSite said it expects the acquisition to close in the next 30 days and following closing, Visualsonics will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SonoSite.

The purchase price of the acquisition will be paid from available cash on hand.

SonoSite expects to payoff Visualsonics’ debt of $8 million following the closing.

Washington-based SonoSite offers hand-carried ultrasound units and impedance cardiography equipment. The company is represented by ten subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries.

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