Every day, it seems as if the news is filled with novel treatments for existing health problems. How can you digest and scrutinize all of this information? Mount Sinai Queens has made exciting new developments in interventional radiology. Advances in the field are helping patients avoid surgery and other invasive techniques.
Interventional Radiologists are trained in both radiology and interventional techniques. This unique combination of skills requires an additional six to seven years of training after medical school. The techniques learned in training allow the interventional radiologist to look inside the body and treat medical conditions using the least invasive techniques. For patients, that means less risk, less pain, and a shorter recovery time. With interventional radiology, diagnosis and treatment are accomplished with a micro-incision, one that requires no stitches and can be covered with an adhesive bandage.
In general, IR techniques start with a catheter threaded into the body, typically through a blood vessel in the wrist or groin. The catheter is used to deliver treatment. For example, in treating fibroid tumors of the uterus, small beads are delivered through the catheter to cut off the blood supply to the tumors. Similarly for men with enlarged prostates that cause urinary symptoms, small beads can be delivered to the arteries supplying the prostate, which will shrink the prostate and reduce symptoms.
Most IR patients are sent home the same day and normal activity is resumed within a week or two.
Please remember that this information is not a substitute for direct medical advice.
Vivian L. Bishay, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a board certified radiologist at Mount Sinai Queens. Her clinical interests include portal venous hypertension, interventional oncology, uterine fibroid embolization, and peripheral vascular disease.
What is interventional radiology?
Interventional radiology (IR) is a medical specialty that uses minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat early stage medical conditions without surgery. The range of conditions that can be treated with IR is constantly growing and includes:
- Uterine fibroids
- Enlarged prostate
- Enlargement of the veins within the scrotum
- Pelvic congestion syndrome
- Blood clots and varicose veins in the legs
- Liver and kidney cancers