Interventional Radiologists are Quality Providers of Cost

Interventional Radiologists are Quality Providers of Cost-Effective Patient Care

Interventional Radiology, one of the most complex and patient-care oriented fields in radiology, is a medical specialty that uses image-guided, minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment techniques that are often an alternative to surgery. Interventional radiologists are highly trained in imaging, radiation safety, the performance of medical procedures, and patient management, an integral part of their practice.

Interventional radiologists treat diseases nonoperatively, often using small catheters or other devices and tools guided by radiologic imaging. Procedures performed by interventional radiologists are generally less costly and are less traumatic to the patient, involving smaller incisions, less pain, and shorter hospital stays.

INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY:		"You really aren’t getting modern health care unless you have an interventional radiologist in your hospital."
	The Surgery of the 21st Century Interventional radiology is a medical specialty that has been called "The Surgery of the 21st Century." Just like other medical specialists interventional radiologists are doctors who have many years of special training after medical school. This training includes radiation safety as well as the use of X-rays and other imaging techniques (radiology) that "see" inside the body without surgery. These physicians also undergo extensive training in techniques that treat diseases percutaneously (through the skin). Using radiologic images to guide their procedures, interventional radiologists insert thin tubes (catheters) and other tiny instruments through the blood vessels and other pathways of the body to treat a wide variety of conditions that once required surgery.

How small is small? Interventional radiologists make a small nick in the skin and insert their tiny instruments through the nick. But how small is small? Remarkably, most incisions are no larger that the lead tip of a pencil! No stitches are needed.

A Recognized Medical Specialty

In 1992, the American Medical Association and the Health Care Financing Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officially recognized interventional radiology as a separate medical specialty. Today, there are more than 4,000 interventional radiologists in the United States.

Training

Interventional radiologists are highly trained. Following medical school and a year of internship interventional radiologists spend four years studying radiology. They are then eligible to take a special exam given by the American Board of Radiology. Physicians who pass this exam are called Board Certified radiologists. Once they are board certified, interventional radiologists spend an extra year in an interventional radiology fellowship training program. Doctors who attend an accredited program and successfully complete their fellowship training are then eligible after one year of practice to take a special exam for added qualifications, the Vascular and Interventional Radiology CAQ exam. This exam is given by the American Board of Radiology.

Patient Care

Interventional radiologists admit patients to the hospital and have the necessary clinical care skills to manage each patient's care. Interventional radiologists work closely with a patient's primary care or other physician to be sure the patient receives the best possible care.

Some advantages of interventional radiology:

Risk, pain, and recovery time are significantly reduced in many cases.
Many procedures can be performed without an overnight stay in the hospital.
General anesthesia is usually not required.
Procedures are often less expensive than the surgical alternatives.

What is the Difference Between a Surgeon and an Interventional Radiologist?

Interventional radiologists use sophisticated, state-of-the-art X-ray and other imaging devices to guide tiny catheters and other small tools through the body to treat disease without surgery. These tools enter the body through openings in the skin as small as the tip of a pencil.

A traditional surgeon makes an incision (a cut) to open up an area of the body, looks inside to determine what is wrong, fixes it and then closes the incision with stitches, staples, tape or other means.

A minimally invasive surgeon makes a smaller incision, places a scope (a large metal tube) inside the body to determine what is wrong, fixes it and then closes the incision.

An interventional radiologist is able to see inside the body of a patient without making a surgical incision but rather by using various X-ray and other imaging techniques.

The interventional radiologist makes a tiny nick in the skin about the size of the tip of a pencil, and guides a thin tube (catheter) and tiny, fine instruments to the site of a problem. The interventional radiologist then fixes the problem and removes the catheter and instruments. Stitches generally are not needed, and procedures rarely require general anesthesia.

SOURCE: SOCIETY OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY