Philips introduces SmartIQ to address the trade-off between image quality and radiation dose in coronary procedures

Royal Philips has introduced Philips SmartIQ, a coronary imaging technology for its Azurion image-guided therapy. Developed in collaboration with leading cardiovascular centres, SmartIQ is designed to address the trade-off between image quality and radiation exposure for patients and clinical staff. For coronary procedures, a new ultra low dose protocol reduces x-ray radiation dose by more than 50 per cent.

“With this new imaging technology, we can go really low in dose and achieve even better image quality. It’s a win-win,” commented interventional cardiologist Dr Mark Winkens at Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

The first blinded clinical pilot study evaluating SmartIQ was published in Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions. The study suggests that the algorithm scored higher on image quality and was preferred in the majority of blinded comparisons, while maintaining or lowering radiation and contrast dose.

The technology builds on the Philips ClarityIQ platform, which has previously been associated with radiation exposure reductions between 23 per cent and 83 per cent, depending on the clinical area. In parallel, strengthening Philips’ evidence-generation efforts, the ongoing RADIQAL trial has been designed to assess the impact of SmartIQ on radiation dose compared to ClarityIQ while maintaining procedural performance.

Read this report on page 7 of the August 2026 issue of RAD Magazine.