Interventional
Radiology Services
The
Interventional department of Radiology performs many minimally
invasive diagnostic and interventional radiologic procedures such as
arteriography (xray study of blood vessels),
percutaneous vertebroplasty, uterine fibroid embolization, and long-term
venous access catheters.
Arteriography:
In this outpatient procedure, a small catheter is
placed into a blood vessel, typically at the top your leg, and then
a special contrast agent (dye) is injected which allows the
Interventional Radiologist to visualize arteries or veins on the
X-ray. This allows diagnosis of certain vascular disorders such as
stenosis (narrowing of blood vessel) and blockage of blood vessels.
If needed, ballooning of the blood vessel (angioplasty) and/or stent
placement (to assist in keeping the vessel open) can be done at this
time.
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty:
In this outpatient procedure, bone cement is injected through a needle
into a fractured vertebra (spine bone), stabilizing the fracture and
thereby reducing the back pain associated with this fracture.
The vertebral fracture may be a result of osteoporosis,
trauma, or metastasis of cancer. This procedure is not for back pain
related to spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).
Uterine
Fibroid Embolization (UFE):
In this outpatient procedure, tiny particles of plastic are injected
through a catheter into the uterine artery, which is accessed by the
artery at the top of the leg, to block blood flow to uterine
fibroid(s). Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors in the uterus
which may cause heavy or prolonged menstrual periods and pain. By
blocking the blood flow to the fibroid(s), the fibroids shrink
alleviating the symptoms associated with them.
Venous
Access Catheters:
In this outpatient procedure, a small plastic catheter
is inserted into a vein either in the arm, chest, or neck. This type
of catheter is often used for people who require long-term
antibiotics, chemotherapy, intravenous nutrition or hemodialysis.
Some of these catheters may be tunneled underneath the skin allowing
the catheter to stay in place for months.
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