ANGIOGRAPHY & INTERVENTION

Angiographic and Interventional procedures are a diverse group of minimally-invasive techniques, some diagnostic but most therapeutic. These range from various biopsy methods under ultrasound, x-ray or CT guidance to abscess drainage, dissolving blood clots in vessels, opening blocked arteries, occluding tumour vessels, tumour ablation using radio-waves and a host of other minimally-invasive treatments and palliative measures.

Dedicated interventional radiologists perform these procedures, mostly within a theatre environment using real-time fluoroscopic x-ray visualization and hardware very similar to the diagnostic equipment for gastrointestinal diagnosis.

Although complication rates are low compared with equivalent surgical procedures, they can occur and vary according to the type of procedure. These include bleeding, vessel blockage, stroke and reaction to iodine contrast agents often employed in these cases (see section on CT scanning). Radiation doses vary considerably with the complexity and duration of procedures, but are generally outweighed in importance by the safety benefits of these cutting-edge techniques.