Introduction
Thirona is a Nijmegen-based medical imaging company founded in 2014 that develops LungQ — artificial intelligence software for quantitative analysis of thoracic computed tomography supporting pulmonary interventions, disease assessment, and respiratory clinical trials. Eva van Rikxoort, PhD, founded Thirona and serves as chief executive officer per the about page reviewed in July 2026, with a mission to make personalized lung care widely accessible through clinically proven AI deployed in hundreds of hospitals worldwide.
Thirona’s official LungQ 4 FDA 510(k) clearance announcement describes enhanced peripheral airway segmentation, estimated chronic perfusion defects from CT (PXT), and post-treatment endobronchial implant detection — capabilities building on LungQ 3 segmentation foundations cleared for the U.S. market in 2024.
What the company does
LungQ applies deep learning to thoracic CT datasets, segmenting lobes, segments, subsegments, airways, and fissures before analyzing tissue and fissure completeness for pulmonary disease documentation. Version 4 extends distal airway identification for navigational bronchoscopy planning in lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic airway disease per the clearance article. PXT perfusion estimation provides quantitative regional data supporting lung volume reduction therapy target selection — Thirona cites clinical evaluations comparing PXT to SPECT-CT in earlier certifications.
Endobronchial implant detection automates localization after lung volume reduction interventions, extending LungQ from pre-procedural planning into post-treatment longitudinal monitoring — an integrated pathway van Rikxoort quotes as translating AI into tools that work in everyday care alongside MedTech partners.
Who it serves
Thirona serves interventional pulmonology programs, thoracic surgery planning teams, pharmaceutical respiratory trials, and MedTech vendors embedding LungQ into bronchoscopy and advanced clinical systems. The about page emphasizes collaboration with research institutes, academic hospitals, and pharma innovators — reflecting dual clinical and trial-endpoint revenue streams. More than 600 hospitals used earlier LungQ versions per the 2024 LungQ 3 clearance post cited on Thirona materials.
FDA clearances target U.S. hospitals adopting quantitative CT workflows for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction and precision pulmonary programs where manual airway annotation is too slow for high-volume reading lists.
Company background
Van Rikxoort founded Thirona in 2014 in Nijmegen to transform cutting-edge imaging science into regulated software, growing a team of more than 25 nationalities with majority women in leadership positions cited on the about page. Thirona’s values emphasize positive impact, teamwork, commitment to excellence, and passion for innovation — cultural positioning common among European ISO 13485 medical device software shops serving U.S. FDA and EU MDR markets simultaneously.
Thirona spun out Thirona Retina BV acquired by Revenio Group in 2024 per company news index — evidence of parallel retinal AI assets distinct from LungQ pulmonary focus.
Product and AI capabilities
LungQ’s segmentation framework underpins regional quantitative analysis — a prerequisite for reproducible CT biomarkers in COPD phenotyping and interventional planning. The LungQ 4 article references automated CT airway segmentation validation comparing AI pathways to expert bronchoscopists with subcentimeter alignment in ERS congress abstract materials — the kind of prospective accuracy claim interventional programs require before replacing manual route marking.
Serial FDA clearances from 2018 LungQ 1.1.0 through 2024 v3.0.0 and 2025 LungQ 4 illustrate incremental feature expansion rather than one-off algorithm drops — a regulatory strategy hospital compliance officers prefer when approving AI that touches treatment planning.
Key developments
2014: Thirona founded in Nijmegen by Eva van Rikxoort. 2018: First LungQ FDA 510(k) for v1.1.0 cited in 2024 release history. January 22, 2024: LungQ 3.0.0 FDA clearance. 2025: LungQ 4 FDA clearance announced at thirona.eu/lungq4-receives-fda-510k-clearance/ (official source).
Why it matters
Thirona matters because lung AI is moving from academic segmentation leaderboards into FDA-cleared interventional planning and perfusion proxies that affect which lobes get treated. Van Rikxoort’s quoted emphasis on performance leadership signals competitive pressure among thoracic CT vendors as Contextflow and other European lung imaging startups pursue reimbursement and hospital contracts. Pharma respiratory trials using quantitative CT endpoints represent secondary revenue Thirona courts through MedTech partnerships.
Sector context
Thirona belongs in Brel’s AI in healthcare coverage under medical imaging and pulmonary AI. Distinct from chest X-ray triage vendors such as DeepTek AI — LungQ targets high-resolution CT quantification for procedures and trials. Buyers should map which LungQ modules are FDA-cleared versus CE-only in their geography before procedural adoption.
Sources and references
Thirona LungQ 4 FDA clearance article and About Us page with Eva van Rikxoort biography.
- Thirona — LungQ 4 FDA 510(k) clearance (thirona.eu, 2025)
- Thirona — About Us (thirona.eu)
Reviewed July 10, 2026. Eva van Rikxoort, PhD, is founder and CEO. Founded 2014 in Nijmegen. Confidence: High.