Radiology

Interventional Radiology uses images and catheters to perform minimally invasive procedures to treat and diagnose a variety of chronic and urgent conditions. Using few or no incisions, most procedures allow for a patient to either go home the same day or have a short hospital stay.

Interventional radiologists are highly trained, board-certified physicians who read images like x-rays and MRIs to diagnose diseases and perform minimally invasive or non-surgical procedures. Interventional radiologists offer patients more treatment options and — in some cases — alternatives to traditional, open surgery.

UI Health interventional radiologists are here to help you live well.

Same Day Procedures

Complex conditions don’t always require complex solutions. Interventional Radiologists at UI Health specialize in minimally invasive, same day procedures. They use images like MRIs, X-rays, and CT-scans to diagnosis and treat chronic and severe illnesses.

Uterine Fibroids & Women’s Interventions

Non-surgical options are available for women who suffer from fibroids (common, non-cancerous growths that can cause pain and bleeding) and other gynecologic conditions (like pelvic pain due to vein congestion).

Venous Diseases

Damaged blood vessels may not allow for blood to flow properly. Common types of venous disease (such as blood clots, blocked vessels, and varicose veins) can be treated quickly and in an outpatient setting.

Oncology

UI Health Interventional Radiologists perform non-invasive cancer treatment procedures for many types of cancer (liver, kidney, lung, others) that complement traditional cancer treatment plans.

Spine and Bone

Non-operative Interventional Radiology techniques are used to non-invasively treat conditions of the spine (such as collapsed vertebrae) and other common bone ailments (arthritis, tumors).

Prostate Enlargement

Traditional treatments for prostate enlargement can have unwanted side effects (incontinence, sexual dysfunction), which can be largely avoided through Interventional Radiology techniques to shrink the prostate.

Vascular Disease

Diseases that affect the body’s circulation (such as narrowed blood vessels or bleeding blood vessels) can be serious. Such conditions can be effectively treated through a needle puncture by Interventional Radiologists.

Dialysis

When the kidneys fail, dialysis is used to clean the bloodstream. Interventional Radiologists are experts in the creation and treatment of dialysis access (such as catheters, fistulas, and grafts).

• Angiography: An X-ray exam of the arteries and veins to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems; uses a catheter to enter the blood vessel and a contract agent (X-ray dye) to make the artery or vein visible on the X-ray.
• Balloon Angioplasty: Opens blocked or narrowed blood vessels by inserting a very small balloon into the vessel and inflating it. Used by IRs to unblock clogged arteries in the legs or arms (called peripheral arterial disease or PAD), kidneys, brain, or elsewhere in the body.
• Biliary Drainage and Stenting: Uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts and allow bile to drain from the liver.
• Central Venous Access: Insertion of a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so that patients can receive medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream or so blood can be drawn.
• Chemoembolization: Delivery of cancer-fighting agents directly to the site of a cancerous tumor while depriving the tumor of its blood supply; currently being used mostly to treat cancers of the endocrine system and liver cancers.
• Embolization: Delivery of clotting agents (coils, plastic particles, gel, foam, etc.) directly to an area that is bleeding, or to block blood flow to a problem area, such as an aneurysm or a fibroid tumor in the uterus.
• Gastrostomy Tube: Feeding tube inserted into the stomach for patients who are unable to take sufficient food by mouth.
• Hemodialysis Access Maintenance: Use of angioplasty or thrombolysis to open blocked grafts for hemodialysis, which treats kidney failure.
• Needle Biopsy: Diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers; an alternative to surgical biopsy.
• Radiofrequency Ablation: Use of radiofrequency (RF) energy to kill cancerous tumors.