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Procedures are performed by interventional radiologists who are members of the Society of Interventional Radiology. Following four years of college and four years of medical school they undergo four years of residency training in Radiology. They obtain certification by the American Board of Radiology after passing an intensive oral examination by experts in nine subspecialties of radiology. Subspecialty certification in interventional radiology is obtained after completion of a one year fellowship and another thorough examination by nationally known experts in interventional radiology.
All interventional radiology procedures involve precise placement of a needle into the body under imaging guidance. After needle placement into a solid organ, biopsies can be performed or drugs can be injected or other devices can be placed through the needle to burn or freeze tumors. If the needle is placed into a hollow structure such as a blood vessel, a bile duct, the stomach or an abscess, a wire can be advanced through the needle into the structure. A catheter (small tube) can then be advanced over the wire. The tube can then be used to drain fluid out of the structure or can be used for placement of a balloon catheter to dilate narrowings in ducts or blood vessels (angioplasty). This is all performed while watching the needles, wires and tubes under imaging guidance (x-rays, c.t. scan or ultrasound) on a video monitor.
The links at the top of this page describe the process of undergoing these procedures at our institution. Links will be added and updated on a regular basis. More general information is available at the www.scvir.org link above.
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