Conditions & Treatments

Interventional radiology offers a variety of treatment options that may be appropriate for many different conditions. Your interventional radiologist will work with you and the rest of your care team to determine if one of these options may be best for you.

Among the many conditions treated through interventional radiology, but not limited to, are:

• Arteriovenous malformations – Abnormal arteries and veins in the brain
• Breast cancer – Malignant tumors in one or both breasts
• Cirrhosis – Scarring of the liver
• Deep vein thrombosis – A blood clot in a deep vein
• Gallstones – Hardened bile in the gallbladder that blocks bile ducts
• Gastrointestinal bleeding – Bleeding caused by disease or injury in the gastrointestinal tract
• Kidney cancer – Malignant tumors in one or both kidneys
• Liver cancer – Malignant tumors in the liver
• Lung cancer – Malignant tumors in one or both lungs
• Pain Management
• Pancreatic cancer – Malignant tumors in the pancreas
• Pancreatitis – Inflammation of the pancreas
• Pelvic Congestion Syndrome
• Peripheral arterial disease – A buildup of plaque in the arteries that carry blood to the limbs
• Pulmonary embolism – A blockage in a pulmonary artery
• Renovascular hypertension – High blood pressure caused by a narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the kidneys
• Sclerosing cholangitis – Narrowing of the bile ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine
• Uterine fibroids – Noncancerous growths in the uterus
• Varicocele – Enlarged veins in the scrotum

There are many different types of interventional radiology procedures. The techniques and tools used for each procedure vary based on the type of health condition and the area being treated.

Some of additional the procedures performed by Temple interventional radiologists include:

• Angiography – Diagnostic exam of the blood vessels
• Angioplasty – Procedure that opens a blocked artery with a tiny balloon and, sometimes, stent placement
• Chemoembolization – Injection of chemotherapy directly into a tumor
• Cryoablation – Procedure that destroys abnormal or diseased tissue with extreme cold
• Embolization – Injection of a medicine called an embolic agent into a blood vessel to block blood flow
• Microwave ablation – Destruction of tumors with microwaves or heat
• Needle biopsy – Diagnostic exam that uses a needle to extract a small amount of tissue for testing
• Radio frequency ablation – Scarring or destroying abnormal or diseased tissue with heat from radio frequency waves (microwaves)
• Selective internal radiation therapy – Advanced treatment for liver cancer that delivers special particles coated with radiation directly to the tumor
• Thrombolytic therapy – Injection of a drug to dissolve blood clots
• Vertebroplasty – Injection of a stabilizing "cement" into bone to treat a fractured vertebra