Providing information, services & procedures in Interventional Radiology

Interventional Radiology (IR) is a little-known specialty which uses medical imaging technology to look inside the body and perform minimally invasive image guided procedures.

It’s often used as an alternative to traditional open surgery, as most IR procedures are performed under local anaesthetic or sedation, with virtually no scar and very rapid recovery.

Although the 1^st IR procedure was performed in 1964 by Charles Dotter in the USA, expansion was limited by the slow processing of x-rays, but the advent of digital imaging and real-time x-ray acquisition, has resulted in rapid introduction of a huge range of IR procedures.

Tiny tubes & wires can be introduced into the body (often through the blood vessels used as a roadmap) and guided around under x-ray guidance, to get to any part of the body and deliver treatment.

Due to the specialised nature of IR procedures, most patients will see a traditional specialist first (surgeon, physician, oncologist etc), before being referred to Interventional Radiology.

Interventional Radiologists are specialists who first train to be radiologists to understand the imaging technologies such as Ultrasound, CT & X-ray and then undergo further training in minimally invasive procedures.

Not all hospitals offer the full range of IR procedures and some complex IR procedures will only be available at large, university teaching hospitals.

Interventional Radiologists sometimes work alongside traditional surgeons to offer intra-operative combined therapy to enable the best possible outcomes for patients.