By Tom Watson

Interventional X-ray continues to be a strong and stable market in 2024 and is likely to remain stable and continue growing. While other medical solutions are competing in one manner or the other, catheter-based angiography will continue to be the gold standard for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention for vascular disease in the heart, the body, and the head for the foreseeable future.

This specialized and unique radiation-based imaging solution provides both diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for cardiology, vascular, neurology and combinations of these clinical specialties. Technology has evolved to allow the same core systems with optional software and hardware features available to address each specialized need. The medical markets are addressed by specific variations of design, single-plane imaging, or biplane imaging. These core gantry orientations offer floor or ceiling-mounted options with some specialized systems allowing a floor-based unit that is not fixed but can move around the interventional suite.
While the market is strong, it still lags the demand seen prior to the COVID pandemic. Certainly, capital budgeting and buying is still on a more conservative curve than pre-pandemic. Also, it appears many users are now in more of a replacement/upgrade market rather than net new system purchase. However, the major players remain constant: Canon Medical Systems, USA, GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare and Siemens Healthineers are the four strongest vendors in the U.S. market. Shimadzu Medical Systems has been a fifth-place competitor but remains a distant consideration.

The symplr Capital Spend database is a real-time, dynamic database reflecting customer interest in specific vendors and specific models based on quotes submitted for analysis. This provides a time-proven reflection of the mindshare of healthcare organizations considered for purchase.

The historical quoting and purchasing patterns show customers considering this solution about 61% annually compared to 2019-2020 (pre-COVID). However, the past 12 months show a gradual increase from year to year. Data from symplr’s database reflect Philips, at 43%, as one of the most highly considered vendors overall, with Siemens (27%) and GE (23%) trailing and Canon at 7%. These percentages can vary depending on the specific system orientation.

• Single-Plane Ceiling-Mounted: Philips 63%, Siemens 29%, Canon 8%
• Single-Plane Floor-Mounted: Siemens 35%, GE 35%, Philips 25%, Canon 4%

X-Ray Homepage