General (Notes)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
General	GENERAL The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Spectranetics Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and its wholly-owned Dutch subsidiary, Spectranetics International, B.V., including the accounts of two wholly-owned subsidiaries of Spectranetics International, B.V., Spectranetics Deutschland GmbH and Spectranetics Austria GmbH (collectively, the “Company”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes single-use medical devices used in minimally invasive procedures within the cardiovascular system. The Company’s Vascular Intervention products include a range of laser catheters to ablate blockages in arteries above and below the knee (peripheral atherectomy); support catheters to facilitate crossing of peripheral and coronary arterial blockages, retrograde access and guidewire retrieval devices used in the treatment of peripheral arterial blockages, including chronic total occlusions (crossing solutions); and aspiration and cardiac laser catheters to treat blockages in the heart (coronary atherectomy and thrombectomy). The Company’s Lead Management products include excimer laser sheaths and cardiac lead management accessories for the removal of pacemaker and defibrillator cardiac leads. The Company also sells, rents, and services its CVX-300^® laser systems. The Company prepares its condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management must make certain estimates, judgments, and assumptions based upon the information available. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying amount of property and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, valuation allowances and reserves for receivables, inventories, and deferred income tax assets, contingent consideration liabilities for acquisitions, stock-based compensation expense, estimated clinical trial expenses, accrued estimates for incurred but not reported claims under partially self-insured employee health benefit programs, and loss contingencies, including those related to litigation. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The information included in the accompanying condensed consolidated interim financial statements is unaudited and should be read with the audited financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the assets, liabilities and results of operations for the interim periods presented have been reflected herein and are of a normal, recurring nature. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 imposes a medical device excise tax on medical device manufacturers on their sales in the U.S. of certain devices beginning on January 1, 2013. The excise tax is 2.3% of the taxable base and applies to a substantial majority of the Company’s U.S. sales. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company incurred $0.5 million and $1.6 million of excise tax, respectively, which is recorded in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) as an operating expense under the caption “Medical device excise tax.” New significant accounting policy Valuation of Business Combinations The fair value of consideration, including contingent consideration, transferred in acquisitions accounted for as business combinations is first allocated to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Any excess purchase consideration is allocated to goodwill. Further, for those arrangements that involve liability classified contingent consideration, the Company records on the date of acquisition a liability equal to the discounted fair value of the estimated additional consideration it may be obligated to make in the future. Liability classified contingent consideration is adjusted to its fair value each reporting period through earnings. Acquisition transaction costs are expensed as incurred. The fair value of identifiable intangible assets uses management estimates and judgments based on market participant assumptions. Contingent consideration liabilities are remeasured to fair value each reporting period using projected revenues, discount rates, probabilities of payment and projected payment dates. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability can result from changes in the timing and amount of revenue estimates or in the timing or likelihood of achieving intellectual property milestones, and changes in discount periods and rates. Projected contingent payment amounts are discounted back to the current period using a discounted cash flow model. See Note 2 for further discussion. The Company has considered recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe such pronouncements are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.

GENERAL

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Spectranetics Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and its wholly-owned Dutch subsidiary, Spectranetics International, B.V., including the accounts of two wholly-owned subsidiaries of Spectranetics International, B.V., Spectranetics Deutschland GmbH and Spectranetics Austria GmbH (collectively, the “Company”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes single-use medical devices used in minimally invasive procedures within the cardiovascular system. The Company’s Vascular Intervention products include a range of laser catheters to ablate blockages in arteries above and below the knee (peripheral atherectomy); support catheters to facilitate crossing of peripheral and coronary arterial blockages, retrograde access and guidewire retrieval devices used in the treatment of peripheral arterial blockages, including chronic total occlusions (crossing solutions); and aspiration and cardiac laser catheters to treat blockages in the heart (coronary atherectomy and thrombectomy). The Company’s Lead Management products include excimer laser sheaths and cardiac lead management accessories for the removal of pacemaker and defibrillator cardiac leads. The Company also sells, rents, and services its CVX-300^® laser systems.

The Company prepares its condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Management must make certain estimates, judgments, and assumptions based upon the information available. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying amount of property and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, valuation allowances and reserves for receivables, inventories, and deferred income tax assets, contingent consideration liabilities for acquisitions, stock-based compensation expense, estimated clinical trial expenses, accrued estimates for incurred but not reported claims under partially self-insured employee health benefit programs, and loss contingencies, including those related to litigation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The information included in the accompanying condensed consolidated interim financial statements is unaudited and should be read with the audited financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the assets, liabilities and results of operations for the interim periods presented have been reflected herein and are of a normal, recurring nature. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 imposes a medical device excise tax on medical device manufacturers on their sales in the U.S. of certain devices beginning on January 1, 2013. The excise tax is 2.3% of the taxable base and applies to a substantial majority of the Company’s U.S. sales. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company incurred $0.5 million and $1.6 million of excise tax, respectively, which is recorded in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) as an operating expense under the caption “Medical device excise tax.”

New significant accounting policy

Valuation of Business Combinations

The fair value of consideration, including contingent consideration, transferred in acquisitions accounted for as business combinations is first allocated to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Any excess purchase consideration is allocated to goodwill. Further, for those arrangements that involve liability classified contingent consideration, the Company records on the date of acquisition a liability equal to the discounted fair value of the estimated additional consideration it may be obligated to make in the future. Liability classified contingent consideration is adjusted to its fair value each reporting period through earnings. Acquisition transaction costs are expensed as incurred. The fair value of identifiable intangible assets uses management estimates and judgments based on market participant assumptions.

Contingent consideration liabilities are remeasured to fair value each reporting period using projected revenues, discount rates, probabilities of payment and projected payment dates. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration liability can result from changes in the timing and amount of revenue estimates or in the timing or likelihood of achieving intellectual property milestones, and changes in discount periods and rates. Projected contingent payment amounts are discounted back to the current period using a discounted cash flow model. See Note 2 for further discussion.

The Company has considered recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe such pronouncements are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.