Specialties - Interventional Radiology
Interventional Radiology, also referred to as IR, is a specialty area of diagnostic radiology in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. These procedures may be done for purely diagnostic purposes (e.g. catheter angiography) but increasingly are done for purposes of treatment of a wide variety of conditions. Image guidance is provided by a number of modalities including fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The procedures are accomplished with needles or other tiny instruments like small tubes called catheters. The images provide the road maps that allow the Interventional Radiologist to safely guide these instruments through the body to the area of interest. These minimally invasive procedures allow treatment of a wide number of medical conditions that previously would have required open surgery to accomplish.
The field of interventional radiology first evolved in the 1960s when angioplasty procedures were developed to treat blockages in arteries as an alternative to open surgical bypass. Since that time, the ability of interventional radiology methods to treat a wide variety of medical conditions has continued to grow. Interventional radiology is currently utilized to treat blockages inside arteries and veins, to restrict or eliminate the flow of blood nourishing tumors, to destroy malignant tumors used focused heat and freezing techniques, to drain blocked organ systems including the liver, gallbladder, and kidney, and to perform biopsies that previously required open surgery.
RIMA has four radiologists that specialize in Interventional Radiology. All are fellowship trained and have been awarded Certifcates in Added Qualification (CAQ) by the American Board of Radiology.