INTERVENTION RADIOLOGY

Interventional Radiology deals with the diagnosis and treatment (intervention) of diseases and conditions of the vascular and peripheral vascular system, biliary system and urinary tract. These procedures are performed by our specialist radiologists, in our interventional suite at the Nova Global Healthcare, using our state of the art technology. The equipment includes many dose saving features, which allows imaging of any part of the body and facilitates complex cardiac, liver related (Hepatobiliary), orthopaedic and many other procedures. Live image display with matching 3D reconstruction offers guidance during complex interventions.

Many of these procedures can replace traditional surgical operations. This can result in reduced complication rates and shorter stays in hospital.

Common Interventional Radiology Procedures

Angiography: An X-ray exam of the arteries and veins to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems; uses a catheter to enter the blood vessel and a contrast agent (X-ray dye) to make the artery or vein visible on the X-ray.

Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM): Blood vessel abnormalities in the brain or elsewhere. If untreated, AVMs can rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding. Interventional radiologists can often treat these abnormalities without surgery by guiding thin catheters to the site and injecting a substance that blocks the supply of blood to the affected blood vessels.

Balloon Angioplasty/stent: Opens blocked or narrowed blood vessels by inserting a very small balloon into the vessel and inflating it. Used by IRs? Interventional Radiologists to unblock clogged arteries in the legs or arms (called peripheral arterial disease or PAD), kidneys, brain or elsewhere in the body.

A small flexible tube made of plastic or wire mesh, used to treat a variety of medical conditions (e.g., to hold open clogged blood vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked by tumours or obstructions).

Biliary Drainage and Stenting: Uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts and allow bile to drain from the liver.

Central Venous Access: Insertion of a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so that patients can receive medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream or so blood can be drawn.

Embolisation: Delivery of clotting agents (coils, plastic particles, gel, foam, etc.) directly to an area that is bleeding or to block blood flow to a problem area, such as an aneurysm or a fibroid tumour in the uterus.

Needle Biopsy and drainage: Diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers; an alternative to surgical biopsy.

Radiofrequency Ablation: Use of radiofrequency (RF) energy to "cook" and kill cancerous tumours.

EVAR /Stent Graft: Reinforces a ruptured or ballooning section of an artery (an aneurysm) with a fabric-wrapped stent C a small, flexible mesh tube used to "patch" the blood vessel. Also known as an endograph.

Thrombolysis: Dissolves blood clots by injecting clot-busting drugs at the site of the clot. Treats blood clots in the brain to reverse the effects of stroke; treats deep vein thrombosis in the leg to prevent permanent disability.

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS): A life-saving procedure to improve blood flow and prevent haemorrhage in patients with severe liver dysfunction.

Percutaneous nephrostomy: The ureter, the tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, cansometimes become blocked by kidney stones or other obstructions. The interventional radiologist inserts a catheter through a small nick in the skin and into the blocked kidney to drain the urine.

Uterine Artery Embolisation: An embolisation procedure of uterine arteries to stop life-threatening postpartum bleeding, potentially preventing hysterectomy. The same procedure is used to treat fibroid tumours and is then called UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolisation).

Varicocele Embolisation:A treatment for "varicose veins" in the scrotum, which can cause male infertility and pain.

Vena Cava Filter: A tiny cage-like device that is inserted in a blood vessel to break up clots and prevent them from reaching the heart or lungs. Prevents pulmonary embolism.