Osteoporosis patients with spinal fractures canhave medical-grade bone cement injected intotheir vertebra to reduce pain and reinforce thespine through vertebroplasty.

Blocked arteries in the neck that may lead to astroke can be opened and reinforced usingcarotid stenting.

Nonsurgical infertility treatments are availablefor both men and women. Varicoceles, varicoseveins in the scrotum that can cause infertility, are“closed” using embolization. Women can getblocked fallopian tubes opened with a catheterusing selective salpingography.

INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGYWhat isInterventionalRadiology?

You or a member of yourfamily has been referredto an interventional

radiologist for treatment. Thisbrochure will answer some ofthe questions about the medicalspecialty and how aninterventional radiologist canhelp you.

For more information on interventional radiology,contact the Society of Interventional Radiology at703-691-1805 or visit www.SIRweb.org.

10201 Lee Highway, Suite 500Fairfax, Virginia 22030(703) 691-1805Fax: (703) 691-1855E-mail: info@SIRweb.orgHome page: www.SIRweb.org

Copyright © 2004 by the Society of Interventional Radiology.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereonshould be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means – graphic,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storageand retrieval systems – without written permission of the publishers.

Questions and Answers aboutInterventional RadiologyQ. What is interventional radiology?A. Interventional radiology is the medical

specialty devoted to advancing patient carethrough the innovative integration of clinicaland imaging-based diagnosis and minimallyinvasive therapy.

Q. Who are interventional radiologists?A. Interventional radiologists are doctors who

specialize in minimally invasive, targetedtreatments performed using imaging forguidance. They use their expertise in readingX-rays, ultrasound, MRI and other diagnosticimaging to guide tiny instruments, such ascatheters, through blood vessels or throughthe skin to treat diseases without surgery.Interventional radiologists are board-certifiedand fellowship trained in minimally invasiveinterventions using imaging guidance. Theirspecialized training is certified by theAmerican Board of Medical Specialties. Yourinterventional radiologist will work closelywith your primary care or other physician tobe sure you receive the best possible care.

Q. How do interventional radiologyprocedures work?

A. Interventional radiologists use imaging, likeX-rays or MRIs, to see inside a patient’s body,pinpoint where the problem is and map outhow to get there without surgery. Interven-tional radiologists then guide cathetersthrough the vascular system, other pathwaysin the body, or through the skin, to treatdisease or tumors directly at the source, via asmall nick in the skin and X-ray guidance.

Q. Is interventional radiology a newspecialty?

A. No. Advances in diagnostic imaging gave rise tointerventional radiology in the mid 1970s bycombining specialized training in nonsurgicaltechniques with imaging. Interventionalradiologists pioneered modern medicine with theinvention of angioplasty and the first catheterdelivered stent, which were initially used to treatblocked arteries in the legs, saving patients fromsurgery or amputation.

Q. What are the advantages ofinterventional radiology procedures?

A. While no treatment is risk free, the risks ofinterventional radiology procedures are farlower than the risks of open surgery, and are amajor advance in medicine for patients.• Most procedures can be performed on an

outpatient basis or require only a shorthospital stay

• General anesthesia is usually not required• Risk, pain and recovery time are often

significantly reduced• Procedures can be less expensive than

surgery or other alternatives

Q. How safe is the radiation during thetreatment?

A. The highest standards of patient safety havebeen incorporated into the development ofthese procedures, because interventionalradiology and diagnostic radiology trainingprograms include radiation safety, radiationphysics, the biological effects of radiationand injury prevention. The FDA, hospitals,state regulatory groups and other medicalspecialists that are involved in the practice ofinterventional procedures use our publishedstandards, which include training, experience,technique and patient care.

Q. What do interventional radiologiststreat?

A. By combining their expertise in diagnosticradiology with their advanced training innonsurgical techniques using imagingguidance, interventional radiologists can treata variety of ailments throughout the body bydelivering treatment directly to the source ofthe problem.

Cancer can be treated with chemoembolization, aprocess that delivers a high dose of chemotherapydirectly to the tumor while simultaneouslyblocking its blood supply, or with radiofrequencyablation that heats and kills the tumor.

“Hardening of the arteries” in the legs, orperipheral arterial disease, which blockscirculation and often causes predictable painwhen walking, can be treated with balloonangioplasty to open the pathway for blood.

Painful and faulty varicose veins are treated byheating and sealing shut the great saphenous veinin the leg, which will improve circulation andshrink the bulging veins below, using a techniqueknown as vein ablation.

A blood clot in your leg, known as deep veinthrombosis, can be removed by placing “clotbusting drugs” on the clot to prevent permanentvein damage.

Uterine fibroid embolization delivers tiny beads tothe artery feeding the tumor, which then blockthe blood supply causing uterine fibroids toshrink and symptoms to resolve.

Deep Veins of the Leg

Normal Blood Flow

Deep VeinThrombosis Embolus

VaricoseVein

NormalVein

VaricoseVein