Interventional Radiologists are Minimally Invasive Specialists
What are Interventional Radiologists?
Interventional radiologists are board-certified physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-rays, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease non-surgically. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine.
Today many conditions that once required surgery can be treated nonsurgically by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery.
For more on the history of interventional radiology, including a timeline of the specialty's milestones, visit our IR History page.
Interventional Radiology Training
Interventional radiology is a recognized medical specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Interventional radiologists are board-certified physicians with additional advanced training in minimally invasive, targeted treatments performed using imaging to guide them. Their board certification includes both Vascular and Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology which are administered by the American Board of Radiology.
Innovation and Patient Safety
Interventional Radiologists are Experts in Radiation Safety
Interventional radiologists' unique blend of skills fosters innovation and enables them to quickly adapt their imaging expertise to pioneer nonsurgical treatments that are guided by imaging. They adapt a technique proven to work for one problem and apply it to another. When it comes to the best practices for safely performing minimally invasive treatments, interventional radiologists pioneered the procedures and the standards for safety and quality. Patient safety is incorporated into the development of these advances because interventional radiology and diagnostic radiology training programs include radiation safety, radiation physics, the biological effects of radiation, and injury prevention.
The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) publishes guidelines for minimally invasive treatments, including criteria for adequate training for specific interventional procedures, as well as expected success and complication rates. These evidence-based guidelines are used by the FDA, hospitals and regulatory groups.
Patient Choice and Informed Consent
For many years, surgery was the only treatment available for many conditions. Today, interventional radiology treatments are first-line care for a wide variety of conditions. It is important to get a second opinion and know all of your treatment options before consenting to any procedure or surgery.
Advantages of Interventional Radiology
- Most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis or require only a short hospital stay.
- General anesthesia usually is not required.
- Risk, pain and recovery time are often significantly reduced.
- The procedures are sometimes less expensive than surgery or other alternatives.
Common Interventional Radiology Procedures
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Angiography |
An X-ray exam of the arteries and veins to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems; uses a catheter to enter the blood vessel and a contrast agent (X-ray dye) to make the artery or vein visible on the X-ray. |
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Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) |
Blood vessel abnormalities in the brain or elsewhere. If untreated, AVMs can rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding. Interventional radiologists can often treat these abnormalities without surgery by guiding thin catheters to the site and injecting a substance that blocks the supply of blood to the affected blood vessels. |
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Balloon angioplasty |
Opens blocked or narrowed blood vessels by inserting a
very small balloon into the vessel and inflating it. Used
by IRs to unblock clogged arteries in the legs or arms (called peripheral arterial disease or PAD),
kidneys, brain or elsewhere
in the body.
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Biliary drainage and stenting |
Uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts and allow bile to drain from the liver. |
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Bleeding Internally |
Interventional radiologists can pinpoint the area of internal bleeding with angiography and inject a clotting substance, such as a gel, foam or tiny coils, through a thin catheter to stop the bleeding. |
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Central venous access |
Insertion of a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so that patients can receive medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream or so blood can be drawn. |
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Chemoembolization |
Delivery of cancer-fighting agents directly to the site of a cancer tumor; currently being used mostly to treat cancers of the endocrine system and liver cancers. |
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Embolization |
Delivery of clotting agents (coils, plastic particles, gel, foam, etc.) directly to an area that is bleeding or to block blood flow to a problem area, such as an aneurysm or a fibroid tumor in the uterus. |
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Gastrostomy tube |
Feeding tube inserted into the stomach for patients who are unable to take sufficient food by mouth. |
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Hemodialysis access maintenance |
Use of angioplasty or thrombolysis to open blocked grafts for hemodialysis, which treats kidney failure. |
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High Blood Pressure |
In some patients with high blood pressure, the condition is caused by a narrowing of the arteries in the kidneys. The problem, called renal hypertension, often can be treated with angioplasty. |
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Infection and Abscess Drainage |
Patients with a variety of illnesses may develop an area of persistent infection (abscess) in the body. The infection can be drained by inserting a catheter through a small nick in the skin and to the site of the infection. Also used to treat complications of open surgery. |
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Needle biopsy |
Diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers; an alternative to surgical biopsy. |
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Radiofrequency ablation |
Use of radiofrequency (RF) energy to "cook" and kill cancerous tumors. |
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Stent |
A small flexible tube made of plastic or wire mesh, used to treat a variety of medical conditions (e.g., to hold open clogged blood vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked by tumors or obstructions). |
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Stent-graft |
Reinforces a ruptured or ballooning section of an artery (an aneurysm) with a fabric-wrapped stent C a small, flexible mesh tube used to "patch" the blood vessel. Also known as an endograph. |
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Thrombolysis |
Dissolves blood clots by injecting clot-busting drugs at the site of the clot. Treats blood clots in the brain to reverse the effects of stroke; treats deep vein thrombosis in the leg to prevent permanent disability. |
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TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) |
A life-saving procedure to improve blood flow and prevent hemorrhage in patients with severe liver dysfunction. |
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Urinary Tract Obstruction |
The ureter carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder and sometimes becomes blocked by kidney stones or other obstructions. The interventional radiologist inserts a catheter through a small nick in the skin and into the blocked kidney to drain the urine. |
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Uterine artery embolization |
An embolization procedure of uterine arteries to stop life-threatening postpartum bleeding, potentially preventing hysterectomy. The same procedure is used to treat fibroid tumors and is then called UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization). |
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Uterine fibroid embolization |
Cuts off the blood supply to the fibroid, causing them to shrink and die, and symptoms to subside (also known as uterine artery embolization). |
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Varicocele embolization |
A treatment for "varicose veins" in the scrotum, which can cause male infertility and pain. |
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Varicose Vein Treatment |
The saphenous vein is sealed shut through the use of a laser or radio frequency non-surgically. |
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Vena cava filter |
A tiny cage-like device that is inserted in a blood vessel to break up clots and prevent them from reaching the heart or lungs. Prevents pulmonary embolism. |
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Vertebroplasty |
A pain treatment for fractured vertebra in which medical-grade bone cement is injected into the vertebra. |
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