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SPY Used to Plan and Optimize Reconstruction Surgery

TORONTO, May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novadaq(R) Technologies Inc. (TSX: NDQ), a developer of real-time imaging and image guidance systems for use in the operating room, announced today that plastic surgeons at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina are routinely using the SPY(R) Imaging System in plastic reconstructive surgical procedures. Since beginning to use SPY near the end of 2007, L. Scott Levin, M.D. and Michael R. Zenn, M.D., have completed 50 SPY procedures during a variety of muscle, bone and free tissue or "perforator flap" plastic reconstructive surgeries for the treatment of traumatic injuries, congenital deformities and various cancers.

Use of a patient's own tissue to create a new body part is rapidly gaining popularity. In these surgeries, tiny vessels called perforators provide the blood supply to a tissue "flap" known as a "perforator" flap. These flaps can be transferred from numerous donor sites to almost any other part of the body. During the procedure, these microscopic sized vessels are co-joined to recipient vessels to supply blood to the reconstructed tissue. Locating the most appropriate perforator vessel is critical to achieving successful outcomes, but is often a lengthy process for the surgeon and OR team.

In the past, surgeons have used doppler ultra-sound and most recently computer tomography (CT) scanning to assist the identification process. However, since perforator vessels are so small, doppler ultra-sound has often been ineffective and CT cannot be performed in the operating room. The SPY System is the only fluorescent imaging system that enables plastic surgeons to visually assess blood flow in co-joined vessels, micro-vasculature and related tissue perfusion in real-time.

Drs. Levin and Zenn were the first to use SPY to intra-operatively locate and assess the quality of perforator vessels. Drs. Levin and Zenn are in the process of completing an independent clinical study using SPY to identify perforator vessels prior to flap harvest and are comparing SPY intra-operative imaging to pre-operative CT. Drs. Levin and Zenn intend to submit the results of their study to a peer reviewed scientific journal in the near future.

"Our initial experience indicates that SPY has great potential to improve the technical performance and results of perforator flap reconstructive surgery," said Dr. Levin, Professor and Chief of Plastic Surgery at Duke. "If, as we believe today, the results of our study find SPY to be equally as effective in identifying perforator vessels in the OR as pre-op CT, there is no doubt that the clinical benefits and cost savings will lead toward establishing SPY as a standard of care in our specialty."

"The goal of any plastic reconstructive surgery is to restore a patient's body to the most anatomically normal and cosmetically satisfying state as possible. In the majority of cases, these goals are challenging because no two surgeries are exactly alike," said Dr. Michael Zenn, Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Duke. "SPY provides us the instant visual imaging feedback we need to confidently make decisions in the OR to achieve the best possible results for each individual patient."

About Novadaq Technologies

Novadaq Technologies Inc. commercializes real-time imaging and image guidance systems for use in the operating room. With one set of proprietary core technologies, Novadaq's products have multiple applications. Novadaq's SPY System enables cardiac surgeons to diagnose intra-operatively by visually assessing coronary vasculature and bypass graft functionality during the course of heart bypass surgery. The SPY System is also indicated for use during other surgeries, such as cardiovascular, plastic, reconstructive, organ transplant and urological procedures. SPY can be used to visualize blood vessels, tumors, tumor margins and the lymphatic system. Novadaq introduced PINPOINT(TM), its first minimally invasive imaging system for autofluorescence in October 2007. PINPOINT allows surgeons to differentiate between healthy and cancerous tissue in the lung and other hollow organs. Further expanding its portfolio of minimally invasive products, Novadaq is developing SPYscope which combines the typical features of a standard endoscope with the additional capabilities of SPY imaging. Novadaq is the exclusive United States distributor of PLC Medical's CO(2) HEART LASER System, used in the same cardiac procedures as the SPY System. Novadaq also offers the OPTTX(R) System, which leverages the company's core imaging technology and is designed for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). For more information, please visit the company's website at www.novadaq.com.

Forward looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release may be considered forward-looking. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on Novadaq's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Novadaq and relate to, among other things, results of future clinical tests of PINPOINT and the SPY System, anticipated financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, market acceptance and future commitments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by Novadaq in its public securities filings actual events may differ materially from current expectations. Novadaq disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Novadaq Technologies Inc.

CONTACT: visit our website at www.novadaq.com, or contact: Arun Menawat,
PhD, MBA, President & CEO, Novadaq Technologies Inc., (905) 629-3822 x 202,
amenawat@novadaq.com; Michael Moore, Investor Relations, The Equicom Group,
(416) 815-0700 x 241, mmoore@equicomgroup.com

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Profile: Transplant News