Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiology uses minimally invasive techniques that diagnose and treat numerous problems without requiring invasive surgery. Schatzki Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializes in interventional radiology. The practice’s highly skilled radiologists excel in catheterization, venous access procedures, cancer treatment, and many other interventional radiology procedures. Call the office to discover how you could benefit from the Schatzki Associates team’s expertise in interventional radiology.

What is interventional radiology? 

Interventional radiology involves performing minimally invasive treatments with the assistance of radiologic imaging for guidance. Interventional radiology treatments’ advantages include less pain, risk, and recovery time than traditional open surgery.

The interventional radiologists at Schatzki Associates have a wealth of experience and expertise. They use a comprehensive range of imaging techniques, including conventional CT (computed tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), angiography, fluoroscopy (moving X-ray), and ultrasound, when evaluating and treating their patients.

What vascular procedures come under interventional radiology?

Vascular diseases affect the veins and arteries that carry blood around your body. Using catheterization, interventional radiologists can assess acute and chronic aortic (heart) and peripheral (limb) vascular disease. Catheterization involves making a tiny cut in an artery and feeding a catheter (a slim, flexible tube) along the blood vessel to the treatment site.

Vascular interventions include:

Angiography

Angiography is a blood vessel X-ray that locates problems like blockages and narrowed arteries.

Balloon angioplasty

Inflating a tiny balloon inside a narrowed blood vessel helps widen it and improve blood flow.

Stent placement

Your radiologist places a stent (a tiny mesh coil) inside a blood vessel to hold it open. Stent placement often takes place during balloon angioplasty. 

Embolization

Embolization controls bleeding by putting a substance into a catheter that stops blood flow through that vessel.

The Schatzki Associates team uses state-of-the-art treatments for critical limb ischemia (blocked blood flow that can cause tissue death in the arms or legs), claudication (leg pain when walking), and other symptoms of vascular disease.

What other procedures come under interventional radiology?

Other procedures The Schatzki Associates interventional radiologists perform include:

Biopsies

Image-guided biopsies extract tissue samples for lab analysis.

Fluid extraction

Using interventional techniques, your radiologist can safely drain abscesses and aspirate (draw off) fluid from joints and cysts.

Osteoporosis treatment

Vertebral compression fractures are sometimes repairable using augmentation techniques like vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. These involve injecting bone cement into the collapsed vertebrae.

Cancer treatment

The Schatzki Associates team performs image-guided interventional tumor treatments, including ablation, chemotherapy, and radioembolization.

Venous access procedures

Venous access often requires ongoing or repeated use of a device that delivers medication directly into your blood or removes waste. This includes dialysis catheters, grafts, and fistulas.

Hemorrhage treatment

Hemorrhages are potentially life-threatening bleeds. Most hemorrhages occur in the gastrointestinal (digestive) system or the female reproductive (gynecological) system after childbirth.

To learn more about the benefits of interventional radiology, call Schatzki Associates.