Interventional Radiology: Treating Major Diseases Without Major Surgery

• Uterine fibroid tumors
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Varicose veins
• Carotid artery disease
• Compression fractures of the spine
• Cancer

For most procedures, a very small incision or a nick in the skin the size of a pencil point is required to gain access to the target area, avoiding costly, complex, invasive surgery. Since there are no large incisions, patients benefit from less risk and less pain. Scarring is minimal—a Band-Aid® can usually cover the puncture site—and patients recover faster than with traditional surgery.

You may be unfamiliar with the term interventional radiology itself, but chances are you’ve heard of one of its most frequently used techniques—balloon angioplasty, performed on more than 1 million patients a year in the United States. In this procedure, a small balloon, threaded through a catheter into a clogged artery, is inflated, clearing the artery of plaque. Today, interventional radiologists continue to find new ways to make medical breakthroughs, working with tiny catheters, balloons, stents, plastic particles, coils, and other materials.

The Main Line Health hospitals are equipped with fully digital X-ray systems that capture three-dimensional pictures of the treatment site, giving our interventional radiologists unparalleled views into the body while they work. Our trained specialists have access to incredible imaging technology offering patients safe, effective alternatives to surgery.

More About Interventional Radiology...

	What is Interventional Radiology? Interventional radiology uses a variety of imaging techniques-- including X-rays, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI and ultrasound -- to insert small instruments and tools through small incisions in the skin to target sites deep within the body. Learn More!
	Uterine Fibroids A non-surgical treatment option for managing fibroids. This new procedure gives women a safe alternative to a hysterectomy. Learn More!
	Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Vertebroplasty is a safe, non-surgical interventional radiology treatment that can be used to alleviate the pain of spine fractures caused by osteoporosis. Kyphoplasty is a similar procedure that can be used to restore some height to fractured vertebrae, improving biomechanical stability of the spine. Learn More!
	Peripheral Vascular Disease PVD develops mostly as a result of atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries." In many cases, interventional radiologists can open blocked or narrowed blood vessels caused by PVD and other conditions without major surgery using various techniques. Learn More!
	The Closure® Procedure A non-surgical outpatient solution to varicose veins! Traditionally, patients diagnosed with venous reflux would undergo vein stripping surgery to correct this condition. Now, patients whose varicose veins are causing symptoms can be treated with the Closure® Procedure -- a minimally-invasive alternative. Learn More!
	Diagnosing Cancer Today, interventional radiology allows  physicians to obtain tissue samples within the body and accurately diagnose cancer without major exploratory surgery. Learn More!
	Interventional Radiology Specialists Meet the expert interventional radiologists who lead our interventional radiology teams at Bryn Mawr Hospital, Lankenau Hospital and Paoli Hospital. More Info!

###