Interventional Radiology

In order to know how interventional radiology came about and how it evolved into what we know what interventional radiology is today we have to understand what interventional radiology is. Interventional radiology is an imaging modality in radiology. It is the use of imaging to guide and assist in minimally invasive procedures in order to diagnose and treat diseases. “The specialty of interventional radiology overlaps with other fields, including interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, endoscopy, laparoscopy, and other minimally invasive techniques, such as biopsies” (2016). Due to interventional radiology overlapping with other fields interventional radiologists use CT, ultrasound, MRI, and even Fluoroscopy during certain procedures.

“Specialists performing interventional radiology procedures today include not only Radiologists but also other types of physicians such as general surgeons, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, gynecologists, urologists, and nephrologists” (2016). Interventional radiology evolved over time in the way we think today by trial and error, with refining our tools and techniques when new issues arise during the clinical setting.
Interventional radiology came about over half a century ago, which started advances in treatment of every organ system in the body.

It was discovered that imaging could help patients avoid major surgery and instead go through minimally invasive procedures. This changed the way we think about diseases being diagnosed and treated with creating technological advances.
Interventional radiology advances came about during clinical situations that didn’t go as planned. They developed safer techniques to treat disease, and then improved the tools that made clinical events safer. Then the new and improved procedure is compared to the old ways. They compare them with clinical situations, which is more costly and which is safer.
Interventional radiology arose from diagnostic catheter angiography. “The seminal breakthrough that made catheter angiography possible was the description in 1953 by a Swedish radiologist, Sven Ivar Seldinger, of a simple technique (since called the Seldinger technique) that allowed for the percutaneous catheter replacement of a needle or trocar” (Baum & Baum, 2014). Aortography and selective arteriography turned into a risk free procedure after Sven Ivar Seldinger’s method was produced. These procedures became popular which resulted in creating new tools to use like “automatic power injectors, rapid film changers, image intensifiers, video systems, and cineangiography” (Baum & Baum,

2014).
In the early 1960’s angiography evolved further, by virtually viewing all organs of the body to diagnose pathologic conditions. “The placement of the preshapped catheter into the feeding artery of an organ also made pharmaco-angiography possible” (Baum & Baum, 2014).
Selective mesenteric arteriography aloud for the preoperative identification of the site of active gastrointestinal bleeding become possible. Before this developed surgeons couldn’t see the area of internal bleeding due to the amount of blood in the gastrointestinal tract blocking their view. “Gastroenterologists and surgeons welcomed preoperative angiography, but the performance of emergency studies required that the angiographer be available all hours of the day and night” (Baum & Baum, 2014). This caused them having to take emergency calls. Radiologists had to start talking hospital rounds and also write orders in the patient’s charts. Endovascular treatment evolved with the vascular catheter. “It was logical to attempt to treat the vascular abnormally identified on a vessel by means of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in cases of vascular narrowing or occlusion” (Baum & Baum, 2014). These two procedures began interventional radiology in the 1960’s.
To appreciate the impact of interventional radiology you have to understand how it was introduced and evolved. After many trial and errors in surgery or the clinical setting they were able to be creative and think critically to solve unpredictable problems. They improved tools and techniques to make clinical settings safer and more accurate. They were able to use imaging to view every organ in the body so they weren’t taking a shot in the dark anymore. These were just the beginning instances that made what interventional radiology became to be of what we know of it today.

References
Medical Definition of Interventional radiologist.

(2016, May 13). Retrieved June 13, 2017, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=34211

Imaging and radiology. (2015, October 3). Retrieved June 13, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007451.htm

Baum, R. A., & Baum, S. (2014, November). Interventional Radiology: A Half Century of Innovation. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from

http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.14140534?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed#_i3