What is Interventional Radiology? Special Procedures ...

Special Procedures:
Interventional Radiology
What is Interventional
Radiology
Interventional radiology is any process which requires
insertion of an instrument or product into a vein or other
body pathway or organ using the guidance of imaging.
This includes special needles for the purpose of removing
tissue samples from body organs and parts.
Common uses of Interventional Radiology
• Obtain tissue samples for biopsy purposes.
• Open veins and other passageways with stents and
balloons.
• Install catheters for drainage, dialysis and for ease of
administering IV medications.
Preparing for the study
• The following laboratory tests will be needed: CBC,
PT, PTT, BUN and creatinine.
• Patients on Coumadin or any anti-coagulants will
receive instructions from their referring physicians
regarding how to prepare.
• Patients are admitted into the radiology holding area
for the day of their study.
• Patients having a biliary drainage procedure or
insertion of a perma catheter will receive IV
antibiotics.
The equipment
• A large, flat examination table and a fluoroscopic
imaging unit that takes real time pictures of the inside
of the body.
How does the procedure work
• You are positioned on the exam table.
• If an IV or injection are required, they will be
administered.
• If imaging is necessary for the procedure, the
appropriate imaging equipment will be utilized.
• A board certified radiologist will do all interventional
procedures.
How is the procedure performed
Arteriogram — diagnoses the condition of your blood
vessels, including all peripheral arteries in the body.
Note: Coronary arteries are studied in the Heart
Catheterization Lab and not in the imaging department.
• A catheter is placed in a leg or arm artery and x-ray
contrast is injected.
• Multiple x-rays are taken in rapid succession.
Nephrostomy — procedure to drain the urine from a
kidney because of an obstruction in the urinary tract.
• A thin, flexible tube is placed through the skin into
the kidney to drain the urine externally into a bag.
Biliary Drainage — procedure to relieve a blockage of
the biliary tree (juncture where the liver secretes its bile
into the colon to aid in the digestive process).
• The biliary catheter is placed through the skin into the
liver to drain the bile into an external bag.
Perma Catheter or Tunnel Catheter Placement —
placement of a special catheter for patients who are on
permanent dialysis.
Vas Catheter — placement of a temporary dialysis
catheter.
• This catheter is inserted into a vein to perform
dialysis on an immediate, urgent basis, allowing time
for planning of permanent dialysis.
Port Injections
• Contrast is injected into a catheter to make sure it
remains open.
continued on next page
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Special Procedures:
Interventional Radiology
continued
AV Fistulagrams and Declot Embolectomy — to
discover stenoses (strictures or narrowing) or clots in
body pathways.
• A contrast agent is injected.
• The radiologist will break up the clot in an attempt to
open the fistula (abnormal passageway from one area
to another).
• Balloon angioplasty may be performed to open the
narrowed area.
Lumbar and Cervical Discograms — determines which
spinal disc space is causing a patient’s pain.
• A saline solution is injected into a disc space to
attempt duplicating a patient’s symptoms.
• The patient must be alert and communicating with the
radiologist throughout this study.
E x p e r t s i n I m a g i n g - P a r t n e r s i n C a r i n g