UR Medicine Thompson Health provides a wide range of image-guided diagnostic and therapeutic services performed by the UR Medicine Vascular & Interventional Radiology team.
Interventional radiology is a subspecialty of radiology in which minimally-invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. Interventional radiology procedures often replace open surgical procedures. They are generally easier for the patient because they involve no large incisions, less risk, less pain and shorter recovery times.
Some of these procedures are done for purely diagnostic purposes (e.g., angiogram), while others are done for treatment purposes (e.g., angioplasty). Image guidance is performed with fluoroscopy, ultrasonography, computed tomography and our new intravascular ultrasound (or IVUS). The images provide road maps that allow the Interventional Radiologist to guide these instruments through the body to the areas of interest.
What are the advantages of interventional radiology?
- Most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis or require only a short hospital stay
- General anesthesia usually is not required
- Risk, pain and recovery time are often significantly reduced
- The procedures are sometimes less expensive than surgery or other alternatives
Interventional procedures offered at Thompson Health include:
- Ambulatory phlebectomy to remove nonfunctioning veins
- Conventional diagnostic angiography
- IVC filter insertion to prevent blood clots from migrating to lungs
- Pain Management - minimally-invasive techniques for the management and treatment of pain caused by chronic pain symptoms
- Peripheral Vascular Disease treatments including angioplasty, peripheral stent placement and cryoplasty (freezing balloon)
- Prostate embolization for LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms)
- Sclerotherapy for spider veins
- Thrombolysis and thrombectomy
- Kyphoplasty for compression fractures
- Power Port placement
- Gastrostomy tube placements
- Transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunts for treatment of portal hypertension and fistulagrams
- Uterine Fibroid Embolization for non-surgical treatment of uterine fibroids
- Varicose Vein Ablation - a minimally invasive treatment for varicose veins
Additional procedures include core or fine needle biopsies, diagnostic and therapeutic fluid aspirations, catheter placement for drainage of infected fluid collections, treatment of catheter-induced pseudo-aneurysms with thrombin injection, and percutaneous ablations of liver masses.
Interventional radiology services require a signed order from your doctor in most cases.
Call (585) 396-6189 for more information.