At the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT 2025) conference, Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, announced a groundbreaking innovation that seamlessly integrates pre-operative CT data into the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab workflow. This advancement—achieved through the integration of Philips’ Advanced Visualization Workspace (AVW) with the Azurion image-guided therapy system—represents a pivotal step toward CT-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a minimally invasive procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries and restore optimal blood flow to the heart.
A key feature of this innovation, Follow C-arm, automatically synchronizes 3D coronary reconstructions with the movement of the Azurion C-arm. As the C-arm angulation changes, the CT volume rotates in real time to maintain alignment, providing interventional cardiologists with continuous 3D anatomical visualization—without the need for manual adjustment. By merging the detailed anatomical insights of CT imaging with the flexibility of real-time X-ray guidance, this integration enhances precision and workflow efficiency in complex PCI procedures. Studies indicate that incorporating CCTA may help reduce both contrast medium use and radiation exposure during interventions.¹
Driving the Transition Toward CT-Guided PCI
Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is increasingly recognized in global clinical guidelines as a first-line diagnostic and planning tool for coronary artery disease. As more patients arrive at the cath lab with prior CT scans, clinicians are seeking solutions that allow this valuable data to be used intra-procedurally. Philips’ new integration enables this by bringing CT insights directly into Azurion, supporting a new era of CT-guided PCI as standard clinical practice.
“By bringing pre-operative CT into the cath lab and linking it directly to the movement of the C-arm, Philips is delivering an industry-first that helps interventionalists prepare for and execute PCI procedures with greater confidence,” said Mark Stoffels, Business Leader Image-Guided Therapy Systems at Philips. “This seamless integration is a significant step towards CT-guided PCI, aligning with our commitment to improving workflow efficiency and advancing patient care in interventional cardiology.”
This launch builds upon the global success of Philips’ Azurion image-guided therapy platform, the world’s leading system for integrated interventional procedures. Since its debut in 2017, Azurion has been used to treat more than 6.4 million patients annually across 80+ countries, empowering clinicians to perform minimally invasive interventions with enhanced precision and efficiency.
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