ส.ค. 01, 2568
Philips launches new Azurion neuro biplane system in Thailand to speed up and improve minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of neurovascular patients
Bangkok, Thailand – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today introduced its new Azurion neuro biplane system in Thailand at an exclusive event held at SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World. This launch follows the system’s global debut at ECR 2024, and underscores Philips’ commitment to advancing stroke and neurovascular care in Thailand through innovation, clinical collaboration, and ecosystem partnerships. Designed to improve productivity and help care teams make the right decisions faster, treat more patients, and achieve better outcomes, the new interventional system features enhanced 2D and 3D imaging and X-ray detector positioning flexibility.
One in four adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke at some point in their lives [1]. In Thailand, stroke is the second leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability, with more than 250,000 cases reported each year [2]. Approximately 10% of patients die within the first month [3], and 60% of survivors live with permanent disabilities [4]. The burden is expected to grow with an ageing population and rising rates of hypertension and diabetes, two of the leading risk factors [5]. The key to reducing the personal, societal, and financial impact of stroke is to follow the axiom ‘time-is-brain’. The faster stroke is treated, the better the potential outcome. Minimally invasive procedures enabled by interventional systems like Azurion are a key part of the diagnosis and treatment pathway for stroke, where every minute counts in conserving the patient’s quality-of-life. Interventional systems are also used to precisely plan and carry out complex neurovascular procedures such as the repair of brain aneurysms and birth defects.
Advancing minimally invasive neurovascular procedures
As clinical pathways continue to evolve, workflows such as Direct-to-Angio-Suite are being adopted to help bypass conventional imaging steps and bring eligible patients directly from the emergency department to the angio suite. These innovations aim to reduce time to treatment and improve outcomes—especially for large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke.
By allowing neuro interventionists to treat more patients, more efficiently, with potentially better outcomes, the new Philips Azurion neuro biplane system enhances both the staff and patient experience and contributes to lower cost of care.
“With the growing incidence of stroke in Thailand, there is an urgent need for technology and workflows that support timely, well-coordinated interventions,” said Concon Molina, MD, Head of Image Guided Therapy Systems, APAC and Marketing Leader, Growth Region, Philips. “The new Azurion system was designed in close collaboration with clinicians worldwide to meet their needs for speed, precision, and confidence in the angio suite. By supporting streamlined workflows like the Direct-to-Angio-Suite approach, we believe it can help stroke teams in Thailand deliver better outcomes and reduce the long-term impact of neurovascular disease.”
Philips’ Azurion neuro biplane image-guided therapy system is designed to smooth and optimize procedure workflows where a combination of 2D and 3D imaging is needed for confident diagnosis and precision treatment. Used with the company’s latest Neuro Suite software and services, it provides neuro interventionists with a fully integrated solution that combines Philips’ world-class ClarityIQ low dose imaging with a range of neuro dedicated tools and value-added services that offer unprecedented levels of efficiency, flexibility, and control.
New features in the Azurion neuro biplane system include enhanced C-arm rotation, angulation (imaging angles), and parking facilities that allow rapid transitioning between 2D to 3D imaging, comprehensive table-side control that eliminates the need to leave the sterile field, automatic beam rotation to obtain correctly oriented images for every angulation and rotation, and a new head immobilizer to support enhanced stroke care. The new Azurion also includes an option for SmartCT Soft Tissue Helical, which enables stroke diagnosis with CT-like image quality in the angio suite—supporting Direct-to-Angio-Suite workflows by eliminating the need for pre-procedural imaging in select cases.
Driving innovation through clinical collaboration
The launch event brought together leading Thai neuro interventionists and international experts to discuss the future of neurovascular care in Thailand. Prof. Kuniyasu Niizuma from Tohoku University, Japan, shared case experiences with the new Azurion neuro biplane system, while Thai experts—including Asst. Prof. Jarturon Tantivatana (King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital) and Asst. Prof. Ittichai Sakarunchai (Taksin Hospital)—highlighted the growing importance of streamlined stroke pathways in the country.
“Collaboration between technology partners, clinicians, and government stakeholders is crucial to strengthening stroke care in Thailand,” said Mr. Viroj Vithayaveroj, President and Managing Director of Philips (Thailand) Ltd. “By bringing the new Azurion neuro biplane system to Thailand and sharing best practices from across the region, Philips is supporting our healthcare system in becoming future-ready—helping more patients get access to timely, life-saving interventions.”
With its comprehensive stroke care portfolio, Philips is connecting the dots between caregivers – wherever they are – at every vital step in the stroke care pathway. The result is smart stroke solutions designed to support connected care. From early triage to image-guided therapy, including support for Direct-to-Angio-Suite workflows, Philips is enabling stroke teams to make more timely and informed decisions. With innovations like the new Azurion neuro biplane system and partnerships with leading hospitals in Thailand, Philips aims to accelerate access to advanced neurovascular care, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to lower long-term healthcare costs.
References [1] World Stroke Organization (WSO): Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2022 (https://www.world-stroke.org/assets/downloads/WSO_Global_Stroke_Fact_Sheet.pdf) [2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3961816/ [3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3961816/ [5] https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03640-0
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2023 sales of EUR 18.2 billion and employs approximately 69,700 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
