On Jun. 30, 2010, SonoSite announced that it completed its acquisition of privately held VisualSonics, a Toronto-based company focused on ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology, for $67.9 million net of cash and debt.

Under the terms of the agreement, VisualSonics will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SonoSite. Shareholders of VisualSonics approved the acquisition.

VisualSonics is the technology leader in real-time ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound that presently serves the rapidly growing pre-clinical research market. Founded in 1999 by Stuart Foster, Ph.D., at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, VisualSonics’ micro-ultrasound technology uses five times the center frequency range currently used in conventional ultrasound systems (40MHz versus 8MHz) and 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). 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.