If you’re like most people, you may not be familiar with the term interventional radiology. However, you probably have heard about some of its procedures. Perhaps even you or your family members have been treated or diagnosed with them.

The field of interventional radiology uses imaging techniques (such as X-rays, ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans) to help treat conditions inside the body. The imaging helps guide the radiologists as they insert catheters, wires, needles, and other tools as part of a testing or treatment process.

This technology is used for an ever-growing range of medical issues. Here are some examples:

• Vertebroplasty: This is the injection of bone cement into fractured vertebra, which can help relieve the pain of a compression fracture.
• Needle biopsy: During the procedure, a radiologist guides a needle into a specific area to obtain a tissue sample. This method can be used on almost any part of the body.
• Angiography: A radiologist uses X-rays to review blocked or narrow blood vessels and can then treat these areas by inserting stents, which can inflate and open up the blood vessels. This treatment is called angioplasty.
• Embolization: A substance is inserted through a catheter to stop excessive bleeding in a blood vessel.
• Chemoembolization: This method can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to a cancerous tumor.
• Radiofrequency ablation: This is the pinpointed destruction of tumors by heating them.
• Cryoablation: This is a localized treatment of tumors by freezing them.
• Thrombolysis: Radiologists use this procedure to dissolve blood clots.
• Biliary intervention: During this procedure, catheters are inserted into the gallbladder and bile ducts if they are blocked or inflamed.
• Drain, tube, and line insertions: Using imaging as a guide, radiologists can insert drain tubes into different parts of the body. They can also insert feeding tubes, as well as lines used for delivering medication.
• Extractions: This technology can also be used to remove foreign objects from the body.

Interventional radiology can often eliminate the need for surgical treatment, and it sometimes can be done on an outpatient basis. For you, this means less risk, less pain, and a quicker recovery time than traditional surgery.

To find out more about interventional radiology and how it might help you, contact Plantation General Hospital. Visit us online or call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-442-2362. We’re here to answer all your questions.

SOURCES
University of Maryland Medical Center
Society of Interventional Radiology