Philips and Imricor have introduced a new Interventional MR (iMR) lab solution for cardiac procedures, marking the first commercially available configuration of its kind.
The new solution merges Philips’ high-performance 1.5T MRI platform with Imricor’s exclusive portfolio of interventional systems and consumables. This partnership enables a workflow for cardiac intervention that maintains high field strength without compromising image quality.
Cardiac arrhythmias affect millions of people globally, yet current catheter ablation procedures rely heavily on X-ray fluoroscopy. This method provides only indirect visualization of soft tissue while exposing patients and clinical teams to ionizing radiation. MRI has already transformed cardiac diagnosis by allowing clinicians to visualize anatomy and tissue in exceptional detail. Bringing that same level of insight into the intervention room offers a potential way to guide therapy more precisely and assess treatment response in real time.
“Our ambition is not only to advance what clinicians can see with MRI, but also what they can do with it,” said Ioannis Panagiotelis, PhD, Business Leader, Magnetic Resonance at Philips.
Philips has a long history of helping clinicians perform image-guided procedures with confidence, and the company believes MRI can play an even greater role in providing care. “With this new iMR lab solution, enabled through our collaboration with Imricor, we’re expanding the role of cardiac MRI from diagnosis into the treatment environment.”
The first commercially available configuration includes Philips’ Cardiac MR Suite, featuring SmartHeart AI-powered cardiac planning and advanced cardiac imaging applications. It also combines Imricor’s NorthStar iMR mapping and guidance system, the Advantage-MR EP Recorder/Stimulator, and the Vision-MR family of electrophysiology catheters.
Together, these technologies enable physicians to visualize cardiac anatomy and arrhythmia substrate, actively track catheters, perform electroanatomical mapping, assess lesion formation, and evaluate treatment response throughout procedures within the 1.5T MR environment. For hospitals, the iMR lab solution provides a turnkey platform for MR-guided cardiac intervention, bringing together advanced imaging, intelligent workflows, and MR-compatible interventional technologies.
This solution is built on Philips’ BlueSeal helium-free MRI technology. This reduces siting complexity and enables installation closer to cardiology departments. The enclosed cryogenic circuit permanently holds 7 liters of helium, simplifying the logistics of setting up these high-tech labs.
“With interventional MR, the idea is not to move procedures into diagnostic MRI suites, but rather to bring MR imaging into the procedure room, a room we call an iMR lab,” said Steve Wedan, Founder and CEO of Imricor.
Wedan noted that the collaboration has always been driven by this shared vision. “Pairing Philips’ world-class 1.5T MR platform with Imricor’s exclusive portfolio of advanced iMR systems and interventional tools creates the world’s first state-of-the-art high-performance iMR lab solution.”
The iMR lab solution will be showcased in Munich at ESC Congress 2026 and is commercially available immediately in CE-marked markets. It is available in some configurations in the U.S. Further Imricor configurations are expected to become available in the U.S. and additional markets, subject to regulatory clearances.
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