The Interventional Radiology Department specializes in minimally invasive, image-guided medical procedures that diagnose and treat various conditions throughout the body. This department uses advanced imaging techniques such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound to guide the delivery of treatment with precision, offering patients alternatives to traditional surgery with reduced risks, shorter recovery times, and minimal discomfort.
Diagnostic Imaging Services
- Angiography: Imaging of blood vessels using contrast material to diagnose and assess conditions like aneurysms, blockages, and vascular malformations.
- CT-Guided Biopsies: Using computed tomography (CT) to guide needles for tissue biopsies, allowing for accurate sampling of tissues from organs such as the lungs, liver, and kidneys.
- Fluoroscopy: Real-time X-ray imaging used to guide procedures such as catheter placements, stent insertions, and angioplasty.
- Ultrasound-Guided Procedures: Utilizing ultrasound imaging to guide needle placements for biopsies, fluid drainage, and other minimally invasive procedures.
- MRI-Guided Interventions: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to plan and guide procedures that require detailed soft tissue imaging, such as tumour ablation or pain management injections.
Therapeutic Procedures
- Angioplasty and Stent Placement: Treating narrowed or blocked blood vessels by inflating a balloon (angioplasty) and inserting a stent to keep the vessel open, improving blood flow and preventing complications like heart attacks or strokes.
- Embolization: Blocking abnormal blood vessels or blood supply to tumours using embolic agents, a procedure used to treat conditions such as aneurysms, uterine fibroids, and certain cancers.
- Ablation Therapy: Destroying abnormal tissues, such as tumours, using heat (radiofrequency ablation), cold (cry ablation), or other methods to treat cancers, liver tumours, and other conditions without the need for surgery.
- Thrombolysis and Thrombectomy: Dissolving or removing blood clots from arteries and veins, which can be life-saving in conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.
- Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty: Stabilizing fractured vertebrae by injecting bone cement, often used to treat osteoporosis-related fractures and reduce pain.
- Biliary Drainage and Stenting: Relieving blockages in the bile ducts, often caused by tumours or gallstones, by placing drainage tubes or stents to restore normal bile flow.
- Gastrostomy Tube Placement: Inserting feeding tubes into the stomach for patients who cannot eat by mouth, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement.
