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May 2008

Study Presented at SpineWeek Finds Plasma Disc Decompression Effective for Contained Cervical Disc Herniation

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArthroCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ARTC), a leader in developing state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgical products, today announced that a study demonstrating the effectiveness of plasma disc decompression (PDD) for treating patients with contained disc herniation was presented from the podium yesterday at SpineWeek 2008 in Geneva. PDD is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia and light sedation.

Alessandro Cesaroni, MD, vice chief in neurosurgery, Policlinico Casilino Hospital, Rome, Italy, and principal investigator introduced a prospective, randomized, controlled study of 85 patients comparing PDD to conservative care for the treatment of contained cervical disc herniation. The study found that PDD patients enjoyed earlier resolution of symptoms and functional improvement, and had significantly greater pain relief at 12 months. One-year results for the trial were presented earlier in the month at the Eighth-Annual Spine Arthroplasty Society meeting and have been accepted as an oral presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in October 2008.

“In our study, we determined PDD to be an effective alternative for patients who experience pain and symptoms associated with cervical disc herniation that do not resolve spontaneously over time. PDD patients experienced significantly greater reduction in pain than patients under conservative care at both six- and twelve-month follow-up visits,” said Dr. Cesaroni.

The PDD procedure is used to treat patients with symptoms associated with a contained disc herniation. The procedure utilizes Coblation®, a patented technology that uses electrical energy combined with a conductive medium, such as saline solution, to

form a plasma that gently and precisely dissolves soft tissue, at relatively low temperatures, minimizing damage to adjacent, healthy tissue. The result is that when a portion of the disc nucleus is removed, the herniated disc is decompressed. Approximately 100,000 PDD procedures have been performed to date. The U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration cleared Coblation for use in PDD procedures in 2001.

SpineWeek is a quadrennial meeting among global spine societies, including Spine Society of Europe (EuroSpine), Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA), Brazilian Spine Society (BSS), North American Spine Society and others.

ABOUT ARTHROCARE

Founded in 1993, ArthroCare Corporation (www.arthrocare.com) is a highly innovative, multi-business medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets minimally invasive surgical products. With these products, ArthroCare targets a multi-billion dollar market opportunity across several medical specialties, significantly improving existing surgical procedures and enabling new, minimally invasive procedures. Many of ArthroCare's products are based on its patented Coblation® technology, which uses low-temperature radiofrequency energy to gently and precisely dissolve rather than burn soft tissue – minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Used in more than four million surgeries worldwide, Coblation®-based devices have been developed and marketed for sports medicine; spine/neurologic; ear, nose and throat (ENT); cosmetic; urologic and gynecologic procedures. ArthroCare also has added a number of novel technologies to its portfolio, including Opus Medical sports medicine, Parallax spine and Applied Therapeutics ENT products, to complement Coblation® within key indications.

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