Philips has unveiled SmartIQ, a new imaging technology for the Azurion image-guided therapy platform. The technology has been developed to achieve a better balance between image quality and X-ray exposure during coronary procedures. SmartIQ is designed to help both patients and healthcare professionals minimise radiation exposure without compromising the images cardiologists need during a procedure.
SmartIQ was developed in collaboration with cardiovascular centres and builds on Philips’ existing ClarityIQ technology. The system combines enhanced image processing with protocols that allow the X-ray dose and the use of contrast medium to be tailored to the procedure.
Image quality and lower dose
An initial blinded clinical pilot study on SmartIQ has been published in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions. The study compared the image quality of the new technology with that of existing imaging methods. According to the study results, SmartIQ was preferred in the majority of the blinded comparisons due to its image quality, whilst the radiation and contrast dose remained the same or was reduced.
The technology also features an ultra-low-dose protocol for coronary procedures. According to Philips, this setting uses over 50 per cent less X-ray radiation than the lowest dose settings within ClarityIQ. Depending on the system used and the clinical circumstances, this should make it possible to perform coronary cine imaging at dose levels comparable to those of fluoroscopy.
ClarityIQ itself has been associated in previous studies, depending on the clinical application, with reductions in radiation exposure of between 23 and 83 per cent.
Further clinical validation
The performance of SmartIQ is being further investigated in the ongoing RADIQAL study. This study specifically examines the radiation dose of SmartIQ compared to ClarityIQ, whilst ensuring that procedural performance is maintained. To date, 60 per cent of the targeted number of participants have been enrolled, and enrolment at the European study sites has been completed. The final results are expected at a later date.
According to Mark Stoffels, Business Leader for Image-Guided Therapy Systems at Philips, clinicians performing coronary procedures have traditionally had to strike a balance between image quality and radiation dose. SmartIQ has been developed to minimise this trade-off as much as possible by combining sufficient diagnostic and procedural image information with the lowest possible exposure.
Broader dose management
SmartIQ is part of a broader strategy by Philips to reduce radiation exposure during image-guided treatments. This also includes technologies such as DoseAware, LumiGuide and EchoNavigator. In doing so, the company is focusing not only on the imaging itself, but on dose management throughout the entire procedure.
SmartIQ is CE-marked and is available in Europe and a number of other markets. The technology can be supplied for both new and existing Azurion systems. In the United States, SmartIQ has not yet been approved for clinical use.
