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Interventional radiology is a medical discipline, which involves both the diagnosis of diseases and the treatment of patients. The practitioners are board certified radiologists who specialize in interventional radiology.

Utilizing imaging techniques, interventional radiologists guide narrow tubes and other instruments through the blood vessels and other channels to the exact location of the problem. With the ability to use imaging to see inside the body, radiologists can describe abnormalities in such extensive detail that a coordinated approach among specialists can be made.

Ralph Reichle, M.D., interventional radiologist at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, says, “As interventional radiologists, we use image guided minimal invasive techniques to work collaboratively with physicians to determine the best treatment option for patients.”

Over the past two decades, Mount Auburn Hospital has adopted many of the emerging uses for interventional radiology. Dr. Reichle outlines some of them below.

Aortic Stent Grafts

Patients with aneurysms of the aorta can now be treated with minimally invasive techniques. Through imaging, interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons place a stent graft through small incisions in the groin. This usually results in rapid recovery and short hospital stays.

Arteriograms

In this procedure, interventional radiologists inject a contrast material into an affected artery. With X-ray equipment, the physician is able to see the anatomy of the vessel.

“As cardiologists do for the heart arteries, we can do the same for arteries elsewhere in the body. Through use of balloon catheters and stents, we can clear blockages. Patients usually go home on the same day,” says Dr. Reichle.

Kidney Stone Removal

For those suffering from kidney stones, interventional radiologists can work in conjunction with the urologists. They create access to the kidney allowing the urologists to utilize their equipment to remove the stones through a small hole in the back.

Procedures for Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Sometimes people with gastrointestinal bleeding require an intra-disciplinary approach and endoscopic therapies and interventional therapies are often complimentary to one another. For example, in cases where a patient suffers from bleeding from the colon or a bleeding ulcer, Dr. Reichle says, “In these cases we can try to block the artery from within to stop the bleeding.”

Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Though fibroid tumors are benign, they can still cause significant bleeding, pain in the pelvic area and/or pressure on the bladder or bowel. “Through uterine fibroid embolization, we inject particles into the uterine arteries, thereby blocking off blood supply to the fibroid. This causes the fibroid to shrink, which alleviates the bulk of symptoms and bleeding,” states Dr. Reichle.

Image-Guided Procedures

Many procedures are performed under ultrasound or CT guidance, which facilitate diagnosis and treatment. For example, fluid collections may be sampled for diagnosis, and treatment of post-operative fluid collections is often possible using interventional techniques.

Diagnostic imaging studies are often followed by non-surgical outpatient interventions. These provide representative samples of tissue so that findings that are unclear for being malignant (cancerous) on diagnostic imaging may be clarified by a biopsy. Findings are often benign (non-cancerous) and no operation is necessary. Even if malignant, the opportunity to discuss and plan an operation with an informed patient is strictly facilitated by the procurement of tissue before the definitive surgery.

Ultrasound-guided procedures can also be effective for those who suffer from plural effusion, which is an accumulation of fluid between the lung and chest cavities. To alleviate this accumulation, ultrasound is used to guide a catheter into the fluid so it can be drained.

Ultrasound guidance is also used to place a special IV, called a PICC line. This IV not only can stay in for a longer amount of time, but also makes the patient more comfortable by reducing the number of needle sticks needed to give medicines.

Vertebroplasty

An image-guided therapy, vertebroplasty may be utilized for patients who have a compression fracture in the back. Using X-ray guidance, the doctor injects a cement mixture into the fractured vertebrae.

According to Dr. Reichle, “The mixture hardens in about ten minutes, stabilizing the fracture. It’s usually done on an outpatient basis and has an 80 to 85 percent success rate.”

At Mount Auburn Hospital, patients are an important part of their healthcare team. With that, patients and their physicians work together to develop a treatment plan best suited for that individual.

To access this state-of-the-art technology, call 617-499-5094 for a Mount Auburn Hospital physician.