For Patients
Conditions and treatments
Interventional radiology (IR) delivers treatments with reduced risk, less pain and shorter recovery times than open surgery, reducing the length of hospital stays, minimizing potential complications and saving lives.
Ablation
Biopsy
Drainage
Embolization
Interventional Oncology
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Mens Health
Pain Management
Pediatric
Peripheral Arterial
Sclerotherapy
Stenting
Thoracic/Abdominal
Thrombolysis
Venous
Womens Health
An IR can work with your doctor to treat a variety of medical issues. Learn more about the conditions IRs treat.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition affecting 1 in 20 Americans age 50 and older.
Uterine fibroids
A uterine fibroid (leiomyoma) is a specific type of non-cancerous growth that occurs in the muscle cells or fibrous connective tissue of the uterus and can alter a woman’s period in many different ways. Uterine fibroid embolization avoids surgery, preserves the uterus, controls symptoms and improves quality of life.
Cancer
Interventional radiologists (IRs) are an integral part of a cancer patient’s care team. Medical oncologists treat cancer with medications, while surgical oncologists remove cancer surgically. Alternatively, IRs treat or kill cancer with minimally invasive therapies. IRs who treat cancer, are sometimes called interventional oncologists (IOs). IRs help cancer patients along their entire cancer journey:
Deep venous disease
Blood clots in the veins are known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and can travel to the lungs, becoming a pulmonary embolism (PE). Learn more about the signs, symptoms and risk factors that contribute to blood clot development.
Joint or tendon pain
Joint pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability among older adults. IRs can help treat knee osteoarthritis, tennis elbow and frozen shoulder.
Back pain
Most people suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives. In most cases, the back pain gets better on its own. When it doesn’t, there are several steps you can take.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
AAA is an enlargement of the aorta, the main artery in the abdomen. An IR can help treat it.
Superficial venous disease
Superficial veins are those close to the surface of the body. Superficial venous disease is a common clinical problem also known as “chronic venous insufficiency” or “venous reflux.”
Varicoceles
A varicocele is an enlargement of veins within the scrotum (the loose pouch of skin that holds the testicles). An interventional radiologist can diagnose varicoceles by physical examination as well as ultrasound examination.
Pelvic venous disorders
Pelvic venous disorders are clinical problems (conditions) that can result when veins in the pelvis are not functioning properly. This can lead to pooling of blood in certain areas of the pelvis and this excessive blood can lead to symptoms, mostly in women. An IR can help.
Enlarged prostate
Enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), symptoms affect approximately 50 percent of men in their 50s and as many as 90 percent in their 70s and 80s. While there are other treatments for enlarged prostate, interventional radiologists can provide an innovative treatment called prostate artery embolization (PAE) to reduce the size of the prostate and relieve the bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms.
Female infertility
Infertility is when one is unable to get pregnant after 6 to 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without the use of birth control. Infertility can sometimes be caused by a blockage of the fallopian tube(s), the passages that the eggs travel through to get from the ovaries to the uterus (womb). If a fallopian tube blockage is discovered, an interventional radiologist may be able to help you by recanalizing (or unblocking) the affected fallopian tube.
Pediatric interventional radiology
Pediatric interventional radiologists (PIRs) are specially trained to deliver minimally invasive care to infants, children and teenagers. The treatments they deliver carry less risk, less pain and less recovery time than traditional surgery.
Use SIR's Doctor Finder to search for interventional radiologists in the United States and abroad.