Our interventional radiologists perform a wide range of procedures and are happy to liaise with clinicians with the best treatment options for your patients.

Information for Patients: 

Interventional radiology is a subspecialty of radiology in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. This may mean x-ray, ultrasound or CT guidance.  Some of these procedures are done for purely diagnostic purposes (e.g. angiogram), while others are done for treatment purposes (e.g. angioplasty).

The basic concept behind interventional radiology is to diagnose or treat pathology with the most minimally invasive technique possible. Images are used to direct interventional procedures, which are usually done with needles and narrow tubes called catheters. The images provide road maps that allow the interventional radiologist to guide these instruments through the body to the areas containing disease. By minimizing the physical trauma to the patient, peripheral interventions can reduce infection rates and recovery time as well as shorten hospital stays.

Common procedures are:

For blood vessels

Balloon angioplasty/stent: opening of narrow or blocked blood vessels using a balloon; may include placement of metallic stents 
Thrombolysis: treatment aimed at dissolving blood clots

For Uterine Fibroids

Embolization: blocking abnormal blood (artery) vessels (e.g., for the purpose of stopping bleeding) or organs (to stop the extra function e.g. embolization of the spleen for hypersplenism) including uterine artery embolization for percutaneous treatment of uterine fibroids.

For the Diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Biopsy: taking of a tissue sample from the area of interest for pathological examination
Radiofrequency ablation: localized destruction of tissue (e.g., tumours) by heating
Chemoembolisation: delivering cancer treatment directly to a tumour through its blood supply, then using clot-inducing substances to block the artery.

For Painful Fractures

Vertebroplasty: percutaneous injection of bio-compatible bone cement inside fractured vertebrae