Patient information
How image-guided treatment works
Interventional radiology treats disease from inside the body, using live imaging to guide thin tubes through blood vessels or through a small skin puncture. There is no large surgical incision, but it is still a medical procedure with preparation, risk and recovery.
What happens first
Your scans and reports are reviewed to confirm the diagnosis and to see whether an image-guided approach is technically possible for your anatomy. This assessment decides everything that follows.
How the doctor reaches the problem
A small access point is made — usually in the groin, wrist or directly over the target under ultrasound. A fine catheter or needle is passed through that access point and steered to the exact site using X-ray, ultrasound or CT guidance.
What happens at the target
Treatment is delivered only where it is needed. Depending on the condition, that may mean opening a narrowed artery, removing a clot, closing an abnormal vessel, or destroying a small tumour or nodule.
Anaesthesia and comfort
Many procedures are done under local anaesthetic with sedation; some, particularly emergency brain procedures, need general anaesthesia. What is appropriate for you is decided with the anaesthetist beforehand.
Afterwards
The access point is closed or held with pressure, and you are observed for a period that depends on the procedure. Recovery time varies with the procedure, the condition being treated and your general health.
Where this treatment fits
Image-guided treatment is one option among several. For some patients medication or lifestyle change is the right answer, for others open surgery remains necessary, and sometimes another specialty should lead the care. Suitability is decided after clinical assessment, not from a website.
Patient information