What is interventional radiology?
Interventional radiology is a highly specialized field of medicine in which real-time imaging is used to perform minimally invasive procedures inside blood vessels, organs, and structures such as bile ducts.
During an interventional procedure, you lie down on a table that incorporates the imaging equipment, which may be a CT scan, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, angiography, or MRI.
After you’re sedated, a very small opening is created to access a blood vessel or one of the ducts that connect your liver, gallbladder, and small intestine.
Dr. Eghbalieh attaches a syringe to the outside of the catheter and injects a contrast medium to highlight the vessels and ducts. Then they guide the catheter to the site of the problem, and small tools that fit inside the catheter are deployed to perform your procedure.
What types of tools are used during an interventional radiology procedure?
In addition to the long, narrow catheter, your interventional radiologist uses a variety of tools, such as:
- Balloons to open clogged arteries, veins, and bile ducts
- Stents to hold blood vessels and ducts open
- IVC filters to trap blood clots
- Plugs to block a leaking blood vessel
- Tubes to drain blocked bile ducts
Physical tools aren’t the only possibilities. Clot-dissolving drugs may be sent through the catheter to eliminate blood clots. Chemotherapy medications may be delivered directly to liver tumors via the catheter. Substances that heat or freeze cancer cells may also be administered using interventional radiology.
What health conditions may be treated using interventional radiology?
The field of interventional radiology is rapidly expanding, so these are only a few examples of vascular, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic conditions treated:
- Blocked bile ducts
- Blocked kidneys
- Gallstones
- Kidney stones
- Liver and bile duct cancer
- Portal hypertension
- Aneurysms
- Blocked arteries and veins
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Peripheral vascular disease
Interventional radiology is also frequently used as a diagnostic tool prior to performing a procedure to treat these conditions.
What are the benefits of interventional radiology?
Minimally invasive procedures are done through a very small nick in the skin, which reduces your post-procedure pain and shortens recovery time. You’ll only need a local anesthetic, so you can go home the same day, or your time in the hospital is shorter than it would be for other types of surgery.
Another great benefit of interventional radiology is that it can often be used in patients who are too sick to tolerate surgery. All patients who undergo minimally invasive surgery face a lower risk of complications compared with open surgery.
To learn more about interventional radiology procedures, call Dr. Navid or book an appointment online.
