Combating disease with less invasive techniques
At first glance,
Paul Curtis, MD, looks like he's ready to do battle as he dons a heavy lead vest that covers him from neck to knee. But looks can be deceiving. Dr. Curtis is a Virtua interventional radiologist who's performing a uterine fibroid embolization, a procedure that cuts off the blood supply to arteries that feed painful, but benign, uterine fibroids (tumors).
What's interventional radiology?
A view into a new kind of treatment
A collaborative effort
New options for all types of disease
What's interventional radiology?
"Guided by sophisticated imaging techniques, interventional radiologists diagnose and treat a range of conditions by inserting tiny, specialized instruments through a small nick in the skin and into the blood vessels. They remove blockages in arteries and restore blood flow, stop heavy bleeding, deliver medication directly to a diseased site and perform other interventions, without opening up patients for surgery," states Dr. Curtis, who brought interventional radiology to Virtua in 1983.
A view into a new kind of treatment
While the American Medical Association only recognized interventional radiology as a medical specialty in 1992, image-guided procedures have been performed since the mid-1960s. "Radiologists developed the catheterization techniques that are the foundation for minimally invasive vascular procedures commonly used today," states Robert Harvey, MD, Virtua interventional radiologist. These procedures are used to treat heart disease as well as disease in veins and arteries throughout the body.
Since interventional radiologists use imaging as the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of many illnesses, they receive training in radiology, as well as other fields. After medical school, they complete a one-year internship; many choose a general surgery internship. Then there's four years of residency in radiology, as well as a one- to two-year fellowship in interventional radiology. There they learn techniques for treating disease percutaneously, or through the skin.
A collaborative effort
Once in practice, interventional radiologists often collaborate with general surgeons, cardiologists, vascular surgeons and other physicians to deliver the best treatment options to patients. "Interventional radiology doesn't replace surgery, and it certainly isn't a solution for every patient. But it does offer some a wider range of treatment options," states Dr. Harvey. "With the added benefits of a shorter hospital stay and recovery period, it's definitely an option that patients should be aware of and should discuss with their physician."
New options for all types of disease
According to Dr. Harvey who completed a fellowship in interventional radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, interventional radiologists perform a wide range of procedures including, but not limited to:
- Angiography: x-ray exam of the arteries used to diagnose blockages and other problems.
- Endovascular intervention: the use of balloons or stents (tubes) to open up narrow or blocked blood vessels.
- Embolization: delivery of clotting agents (gel, foam, plastic particles) to stop or control heavy bleeding.
- Hemodialysis access maintenance: maintaining vein or artery access for patients undergoing hemodialysis, a process used to treat kidney failure.
- Chemoembolization: delivery of chemotherapy directly to the site of a tumor; most commonly used in the treatment of liver cancer.
- Thrombolysis: treatment to dissolve blood clots with clot-busting drugs
- Uterine fibroid embolization: treatment of uterine fibroids by cutting off the blood supply to the arteries that feed the fibroids.