Interventional Radiology

Minimally Invasive Treatment Options

Interventional radiology is a minimally-invasive method of using radiology to treat disease rather than diagnose it. Without open surgery, small catheters or needles are guided to the affected area of the body with advanced imaging technology. This kind of procedure has replaced many traditional surgeries as it can be safer and more cost effective, and can decrease recovery time.

Interventional radiology procedures include:

• Angioplasty/stent placement
  The opening of narrowed blood vessels without surgery
• Nephrostomy
  The drainage of an obstructed kidney
• Vertebroplasty
  Injecting bone cement into the spine to prevent further advancement of compression fractures
• Needle biopsy
  Extracting cells from organs or bone to be analyzed by pathology
• Cerebral embolization
  A method for blocking off part of a blood vessel that is causing problems
• Thrombolytic therapy
  Catheters are guided to the location of a blood clot where a medication is released to dissolve the clot. This is often used to treat strokes or heart attacks.