Interventional Radiology

What is Interventional Radiology?

Interventional radiologists are involved in the treatment of the patient, as well as the diagnosis of disease. They treat and diagnose an increasing range of conditions by inserting various small instruments or tools such as catheters or wires into the body. The interventional radiologist uses fluoroscopy, CT, MRI and ultrasound to localize the region of treatment or diagnosis. Interventional radiology offers an alternative to the surgical treatment of many conditions and can eliminate the need for hospitalization in many cases.

Who is the Interventional Radiologist?

The interventional radiologist is a medical doctor who has completed training in an accredited residency program. The interventional radiologist also completes an interventional radiology fellowship training program. Interventional radiologists work closely with other doctors and play an important role on the treatment team.

What Procedures Do Interventional Radiologists Perform?

Interventional radiologists perform a vast variety of procedures, including the following:

Angiography and Angioplasty

An X-ray of the arteries and veins to detect blockage or narrowing of the vessels. In many cases, the interventional radiologist can treat the blockages by inserting a small stent which opens the vessel. This procedure is called a balloon angioplasty.

Cancer Treatment

This treatment uses catheters to selectively deliver anti-cancer medications and other tumor neutralizing therapy directly to the tumor site.

Embolization

The insertion of a substance through a catheter into a blood vessel to stop hemorrhaging or excessive bleeding. Embolization of many forms may also be utilized to treat bleeding from trauma and to reduce blood flow to certain structures or tumors making subsequent surgery less risky.

Stent Placement

A tiny, expandable tube called a stent is placed inside a blood vessel or other narrowed structure at the site of a blockage. The stent is expanded to open up the blockage.

Foreign Body Extraction

The use of a catheter inserted into a blood vessel to retrieve a foreign body in the vessel.

Needle Biopsy

A small needle is inserted into the abnormal area in almost any part of the body guided by imaging techniques to obtain a tissue biopsy. This type of biopsy can provide a diagnosis without surgical intervention.

Blood Clot Dissolution and Filters

A small device is inserted into a blood clot to break up blood clots. Filters may also be placed to collect harmful clot and prevent potential harmful consequences. Clot-lysing agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator may be injected into the body to dissolve blood clots, thereby increasing blood flow.

Catheter insertions

A catheter is inserted into large veins for various reasons including for giving chemotherapy drugs, nutritional support, and hemodialysis.

Steady Growth in Minimally Invasive Options

Continual innovations in interventional radiology enable our doctors to successfully treat a wide array of conditions with precise, minimally invasive procedures. Our expertise frequently eliminates the need for more invasive treatment options.

Continuing advances in interventional radiology makes minimally invasive and nonsurgical procedures an increasing part of medicine today. The interventional radiologist treats traumatic injuries, various liver and renal disorders, vascular stenosis and malformations and other conditions with precision and with minimal impact on patients. Our interventional radiology specialists can also precisely treat cancerous tumors in the liver and other organs. This treatment improves clinical outcomes for our cancer patients.

Fellowship-trained interventional radiology subspecialists at Nebraska Medicine - Radiology have extensive experience performing a wide range of procedures with the latest technology. We direct forms of therapy with a high degree of accuracy to treat a variety of conditions.

Focus on Patient Safety and Comfort

We recognize that patients come to us expecting courteous, respectful treatment. We ensure that they are as comfortable as possible and use minimally invasive procedures to decrease recovery time and allow the patient to return to normal life more rapidly.

Collaborative Care

Our interventional radiology expertise can save your patient time and painful recovery by eliminating the need for surgery and other more invasive procedures. We involve patients and referring clinicians in the process of delivering care by consulting with them regarding the planned procedure. We are here to support patients and referring clinicians while providing the best possible patient experience