Precise, image-guided treatment, without open surgery.
IR uses real-time imaging such as X-ray, ultrasound and CT to guide small instruments through blood vessels or directly to the target. Many procedures are carried out through an access site only a few millimetres wide.
Many conditions traditionally treated with open surgery can now be treated this way: blocking the blood supply that feeds fibroids or an enlarged prostate, closing faulty veins, or destroying tumours with targeted energy or radiation.
A small image-guided access site can avoid the larger incision required for open surgery.
Many procedures can be performed under sedation; general anaesthesia is also available where appropriate.
Many treatments are day procedures or require only a short hospital stay, depending on the condition and procedure.
Some conditions can be treated while preserving the affected organ, where clinically appropriate.
A short explainer on interventional radiology from Dr Chris Rogan, an Australian interventional radiologist.
Watch on YouTube ↗