Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the one millionth procedure on its flagship Azurion image-guided therapy platform. Since its introduction in February 2017, Azurion has seen rapid adoption in hospitals around the world, reaching the landmark millionth procedure in just over 2.5 years. The millionth procedure took place at GZA Ziekenhuizen in Antwerp, Belgium [1].
Image-guided therapy, where treatment is performed through a small incision and guided by imaging technologies including X-ray and ultrasound, is increasingly replacing open surgery for the treatment of many diseases. As the range of diseases that can be treated with image-guided therapy continues to expand and the procedures themselves become more efficient, the patient’s treatment experience continues to improve. They face less trauma, and as a result their stay in hospital can be dramatically reduced – often returning home after one night in hospital, and for some procedures even leaving the hospital on the same day.