Interventional X-ray
Questions and Answers
• What is interventional radiology?
• Why is it important?
• What are the most common IR procedures?
• What to expect before your IR procedure
• What is a contrast agent?
What is interventional radiology?
Interventional radiology is a medical specialty which uses advanced imaging technologies to perform a variety of procedures such as biopsies, draining fluids, inserting catheters, and dilating or stenting narrowed ducts or vessels.
Using X-ray fluoroscopy or CT, physicians can examine the tissues and deep structures of the body. This detailed imagery guides percutaneous or ‘through the skin’ procedures which are much less ‘invasive’ than open surgery.
Why is it important?
Any time open surgery can be eliminated as treatment option – your recovery is likely to be faster and risk of infection less severe. As imaging and catheter technologies improve, and radiologists see inside your body with more clarity, opportunities to replace open surgery with an IR procedure increase. And procedures that would have required hospitalization are often done on an out-patient basis.
For instance, the Philips Allura FD20 X-ray system has several new features that may impact a physician’s decision to consider interventional radiology over surgery. Among them:
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30cm x 40cm digital flat detector – The large size of this X-ray detector means the resulting images cover a larger area. A larger image can mean shorter exam times and potentially less radiation dose to you. And the high-quality digital images may be better than those acquired on older equipment.
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3D-RA (or three-dimensional rotational angiography) – This is a fancy term for the creation of three-dimensional X-ray images of your internal structures.
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XperCT – X-ray imagery shows bone and blood vessels well. CT imagery shows the ‘soft-tissue’ organs (liver, kidney, lungs, etc.). XperCT software used on an X-ray system like the FD20 allows radiologists to see bones, blood vessels and soft-tissue organs in one image.
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XperGuide – This is an advanced needle guidance application that helps radiologists guide the tip of a needle or catheter to an exact location inside your body.
Forward-thinking doctors like Dr. John Racadio of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio are using these new technologies to further broaden the use of interventional radiological procedures.
What are the most common IR procedures?
There are many different types of procedures performed using interventional radiology. Some of the more common include:
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Angiography – using a catheter and contrast agent (X-ray dye), an examination is done to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems
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Balloon angioplasty – a very small balloon inserted into a narrowed or blocked blood vessel (using a catheter) and inflated to open the vessel up
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Chemoembolization – delivery of chemotherapy drugs directly to the site of the cancerous tumor
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Radiofrequency ablation – use of radiofrequency (RF) energy to heat and destroy cancerous cells
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Stent-graft – placement of a small flexible tube (made of plastic and wire mesh) into a ruptured section of an artery to ‘patch’ or reinforce that artery
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Uterine fibroid embolization – delivery of clotting material (coils, plastic particles, gel, foam, etc.) to the uterine arteries to shrink painful, enlarged, benign tumors
What to expect before your IR procedure
Your doctor will give preparation instructions for your specific IR procedure to you. You may be asked not to eat or drink anything before your procedure. You may also be given a contrast agent to help highlight a particular organ or body structure.
Most IR procedures involve some level of sedation or, in some cases, require a general anesthetic.
What is a contrast agent?
A contrast agent is a drug that makes certain tissues stand out more clearly against their surroundings, enabling details to show up on the X-ray, improving diagnostic accuracy. Contrast agents can be given intravenously or orally.
- July 2007
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