|
( Interventional radiology)
Interventional radiology (abbreviated IR or sometimes VIR) is a subspecialty of radiology in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. Some of these procedures are done for purely diagnostic purposes (e.g., angiogram), while others are done for treatment purposes (e.g., angioplasty). Pictures (images) are used to direct these procedures, which are usually done with needles or other tiny instruments like small tubes called catheters. The images provide road maps that allow the Interventional Radiologist to guide these instruments through the body to the areas of interest. The advancements in the field of radiological imaging such as the Seldinger technique, together with innovations in instrumentation, led to a rapid development in interventional procedures in the 1970s. Cardiovascular procedures were found to be particularly well-suited for guided and minimally invasive operations, and catheterization remains as one of the main applications for interventional radiology. Common interventional imaging methods include X-ray fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fluoroscopy and computed tomography use ionizing radiation that may be potentially harmful to the patient and, in the case of fluoroscopy, the interventional radiologist. However, both methods have the advantages of being fast and geometrically accurate. Ultrasound suffers from image quality and tissue contrast problems, but is also fast and inexpensive. Magnetic resonance imaging provides superior tissue contrast, at the cost of being expensive and requiring specialized instruments that will not interact with the magnetic fields present in the imaging volume. Common IR procedures are
|
Interventional radiology Subcategories
Interventional radiology Articles
|
|
