Interventional Radiology is a medical specialty that uses imaging modalities such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT, and MRI to guide minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures throughout virtually every part of the body. Unlike interventional cardiology or interventional neuroradiology, which focus on specific organ systems, interventional radiology encompasses a broad spectrum of conditions affecting the liver, kidneys, lungs, bones, lymphatic system, and peripheral vasculature. Procedures are performed through small skin punctures under real-time image guidance, eliminating the need for open surgery and, in many cases, general anesthesia. This significantly reduces procedural risk, shortens recovery time, and improves patient outcomes.
Core Diagnostic Techniques
Fluoroscopy provides real-time X-ray imaging, allowing physicians to continuously visualize the movement of catheters, guidewires, and contrast media during a procedure. It serves as the primary navigation tool for vascular interventions and other catheter-based procedures where precise instrument positioning is essential.
Ultrasound guidance is the most widely used imaging modality for percutaneous procedures outside the vascular system. It enables precise real-time placement of needles and catheters into target structures such as abscesses, cysts, fluid collections, or superficial lesions without exposing the patient to ionizing radiation. It is routinely used for biopsies, drainage procedures, and vascular access.
CT guidance provides high-resolution three-dimensional imaging and is indispensable for procedures involving deep anatomical structures beyond the reach of ultrasound. It is commonly used for biopsies of deep-seated lesions, tumor ablations, and drainage of complex fluid collections, allowing accurate procedural planning and continuous verification of instrument placement.
Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) is a specialized fluoroscopic imaging technique that digitally removes bone and soft tissue structures from the image, leaving only contrast-filled blood vessels visible. It plays a central role in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disorders, embolization procedures, and the assessment of arterial and venous patency.
Key Procedures
Percutaneous biopsy is one of the fundamental diagnostic procedures in interventional radiology. Under image guidance, a fine needle is advanced into a suspicious lesion to obtain tissue samples for histopathological examination. In many cases, it replaces surgical biopsy while providing an accurate diagnosis of both malignant and benign diseases affecting the liver, lungs, kidneys, bones, and other organs with minimal patient discomfort.
Percutaneous drainage involves the placement of a drainage catheter into an abscess or pathological fluid collection under ultrasound or CT guidance. This minimally invasive procedure often eliminates the need for surgical intervention and provides an effective treatment for infections and postoperative complications.
Transarterial embolization is a procedure in which embolic agents are delivered through a catheter into a feeding artery to intentionally occlude the blood supply to the target tissue. It is widely used for the treatment of liver tumors, uterine fibroids, acute gastrointestinal or pelvic hemorrhage, and arteriovenous malformations located outside the central nervous system.
Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) and radioembolization are established locoregional therapies for primary and metastatic liver tumors. During TACE, a combination of chemotherapeutic agents and embolic materials is delivered directly into the tumor-feeding artery, achieving high local drug concentrations while simultaneously interrupting the tumor's blood supply. Radioembolization employs microscopic radioactive spheres that become lodged within the tumor vasculature, delivering targeted internal radiation while minimizing exposure to healthy liver tissue.
Ablative techniques, particularly radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA), destroy tumor tissue by generating heat through a needle electrode inserted percutaneously under CT or ultrasound guidance. These minimally invasive procedures are considered standard treatment options for selected small tumors of the liver, kidneys, and lungs, especially in patients who are not suitable candidates for surgical resection.
Percutaneous interventions involving the biliary and urinary systems include drainage catheter placement for biliary or urinary obstruction, balloon dilation of strictures, and stent implantation to restore normal flow. These procedures effectively relieve acute obstruction and infection and may serve as a bridge to definitive surgical or endoscopic treatment or provide long-term palliative management when curative treatment is not feasible.
Peripheral vascular interventions include angioplasty and stenting of lower limb arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease, thrombectomy and catheter-directed thrombolysis for acute arterial or venous thrombosis, and placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters to prevent pulmonary embolism. These minimally invasive procedures represent an important alternative to conventional vascular surgery and, for many indications, have become the preferred first-line treatment.
For Interventional Radiology, we provide:
- Balloon-expandable stents for renal applications
- Self-expanding stents for iliac applications
- Balloon-expandable stents for iliac applications
- Self-expanding stents for femoropopliteal applications
- Sirolimus-eluting self-expanding stents for femoropopliteal applications
- Balloon-expandable stents for infrapopliteal applications
- Sirolimus-eluting balloon-expandable stents for infrapopliteal applications
- Amphilimus-coated self-expanding stents
- Expanded indications for infrapopliteal peripheral arterial disease
