Interventional Procedures
Interventional procedures include needle aspirations, biopsies and drainages. By using fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography and in some cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging the inteventionalist is able to guide needles into the appropriate location without the need for surgery. The recent advances in minimally invasive procedures allow patients to recover quickly by avoiding surgery.
Several examples are:
- Patients with abscesses may have the fluid aspirated so that a culture can be performed to direct the appropriate antibiotic therapy. During the same procedure a drainage catheter can be left in place to more rapidly treat the abscess and avoid the need for surgery.
- Patients with lung or liver cancer can have a piece of the tumor taken out under a minimally invasive image guided procedure so that the oncologists can identify the tumor type and treat appropriately.
- Patients with fluid build up in the belly or chest can have these collections safely and easily drained with minimal discomfort.
We are also pleased to provide the recent advances of Radiofrequency Ablation. This procedure allows Interventional Radiologist to insert probes into tumors and kill tumors locally. This procedure can be used in the liver, bone and lung. The interventionalist works directly with your cancer physician to determine if the treatment is appropriate. If you think you may benefit from this type of direct cancer treatment please speak with your cancer physician about Radiofrequency Ablation.