Angiography / Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists specialize in diagnostic and therapeutic minimally invasive procedures. These techniques use image guidance (i.e. X-ray, CT Scan, Ultrasound) to place small catheters (spaghetti sized tubes), needles, and other devices into targeted areas of the body. Some treatment examples are:
- Injection of contrast dye into veins and arteries to diagnose vascular problems and the expansion of internal small stents with balloons (angioplasty) to fix them
- Stablizing fractures of the spine by directly injecting bone cement into broken bones
- Treating cancer using directed chemotherapy or placing a radiofrequency probe to destroy a tumor
- Using small particles to stop blood flow (embolization) to uterine fibroids in order to provide symptomatic relief
- Draining obstruction or infected fluid collections without surgery.
