Interventional Radiology
Interventional Radiology Procedures
FAQ
What are the advantages of interventional radiology?
Most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis or require
only a short hospital stay. General anesthesia usually is not
required. Risk, pain and recovery time are often significantly
reduced. The procedures are sometimes less expensive than surgery or
other alternatives.
What are some common interventional
procedures?
Angiography
An X-ray exam of the arteries and veins to diagnose blockages and
other blood vessel problems; uses a catheter to enter the blood
vessel and a contrast agent (X- ray dye) to make the artery or vein
visible on the X-ray.
Balloon Angioplasty
Opens blocked or narrowed blood vessels by inserting a very small
balloon into the vessel and inflating it. Used by IRs to unblock
clogged arteries in the legs or arms (called peripheral vascular
disease or PVD), kidneys, brain or elsewhere in the body.
Biliary Drainage and Stenting
Uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts and allow
bile to drain from the liver.
Central Venous Access
Insertion of a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so
that patients can receive medication or nutrients directly into the
blood stream or so blood can be drawn.
Chemoembolization
Delivery of cancer-fighting agents directly to the site of a cancer
tumor; currently being used mostly to treat cancers of the endocrine
system, including melanoma and liver cancers.
Embolization
Delivery of clotting agents (coils, plastic particles, gelfoam,
etc.) directly to an area that is bleeding or to block blood flow to
a problem area, such as an aneurysm or a fibroid tumor in the
uterus.
Fallopian Tube Catheterization
Uses a catheter to open blocked fallopian tubes without surgery; a
treatment for infertility.
Gastrostomy Tube
Feeding tube inserted into the stomach for patients who are unable
to take sufficient food by mouth.
Hemodialysis
Access maintenance; Use of angioplasty or thrombolysis to open
blocked grafts for hemodialysis, which treats kidney failure.
Dialyisis catheter placement, replacement, and removal as needed.
Needle Biopsy
Diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers; an alternative
to surgical biopsy.
Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation
Use of radiofrequency (RF) energy to cook and kill cancerous tumors.
Stent
A small flexible tube made of plastic or wire mesh, used to treat a
variety of medical conditions (e.g., to hold open clogged blood
vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked by
tumors or obstructions).
Stent-Graft
Reinforces a ruptured or ballooning section of an artery (an
aneurysm) with a fabric-wrapped stent C a small, flexible mesh tube
used to "patch" the blood vessel. Also known as an endograft.
Thrombolysis
Dissolves blood clots by injecting clot-busting drugs at the site of
the clot.
TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt)
A life-saving procedure to improve blood flow and prevent hemorrhage
in patients with severe liver dysfunction.
Uterine Artery Embolization
An embolization procedure of uterine arteries to stop life-
threatening postpartum bleeding, potentially preventing
hysterectomy. The same procedure is used to treat fibroid tumors and
is then called UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization).
Uterine Fibroid Embolization
An embolization procedure of uterine arteries to shrink painful,
enlarged, benign tumors in the uterus, also called UAE (Uterine
Artery Embolization).
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