How interventional radiology is transforming patient care and helping hospitals
April 10, 2018
By Suresh Vedantham
Every day, the health care community makes great strides in improving patient care through life-saving medications, research that leads to new discoveries and the development of innovative treatments that are safer and more effective.
Interventional radiologists are pioneering these new treatments and reaching further into the body to overcome some of the greatest treatment challenges. Often practicing alongside health care professionals of various specialties, their distinctive skills have made them an integral part of the patient’s clinical care team.
Interventional radiology plays a critical collaborative role with other specialties, enhancing the range of treatments and solutions offered to patients in the hospital setting. Interventional radiologists have long been known to other physicians as the experts in performing medical procedures that use imaging for guidance. But more recently, interventional radiology has cemented its reputation as a unique, patient-centered clinical service. This recognition is evident in the certification in 2012 by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the largest physician-led specialty certification organization in the U.S., of interventional radiology as a primary specialty of medicine. Hospitals and health systems are investing in these services and empowering interventional radiology departments, not only for the many benefits they provide to patients, but because they can offer so much to the institution as a whole.
Through minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of medical conditions that once required open surgery, interventional radiology is reconceptualizing the practice of medicine and setting new standards of care. By harnessing the power of advanced imaging, such as ultrasound and MRI, we can see deeper and more clearly into a patient’s body and treat complex ailments far less invasively. This reduces the length of hospital stays, minimizes potential complications and saves lives. These services also consistently improve patient satisfaction. As patients become better educated on their treatment choices, more patients are electing interventional radiology treatments. In addition, interest in interventional radiology among medical students is growing thanks to the new interventional radiology residency programs designed to enhance training in this specialty and expand access to interventional radiology treatments nationwide.
Trauma care
Emergency situations often require the use of interventional radiology to help save patients’ lives. In the past, patients with active bleeding would be sent to surgery, increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. With the availability of interventional radiology 24 hours a day, this care is now invaluable in treating traumatic bleeding to stabilize patients so it is safe for a surgeon to go in and repair other damage caused by the trauma if necessary — or avoid surgery altogether.
“A rapid response time by the interventional radiology team is important to improve the outcomes of patients with severe trauma,” said Sue Ellen Hanks, M.D., FSIR, associate professor of clinical radiology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “Stopping hemorrhage through minimally invasive techniques has been shown to be a successful strategy that avoids unnecessary surgery and helps to minimize loss of organ function.”
Interventional radiology techniques such as embolization and stenting fit very well into trauma care protocols that emphasize non-operative management. But they have also largely replaced open surgery as the first-line approach to life-threatening bleeding from other causes, including gastrointestinal disorders, solid organs or childbirth. And, these same methods have been creatively harnessed by interventional radiologists beyond emergency care to provide patients with new treatment options for many chronic conditions including uterine fibroids, vascular disease, blood clots and many cancers.
This technology is constantly advancing, and the devices that are utilized will continue to get better, smaller and easier to use.
Stroke care
Through game-changing treatments such as thrombectomy, interventional radiologists have also been able to change the standard of care for stroke treatment and offer patients a better quality of life. Stroke care requires a multi-specialty team that includes many individuals with defined roles and must be provided within a very short time frame to be effective. The interventional radiologist has the background and training both to interpret brain imaging and to perform endovascular interventions and is available in many community hospitals where other specialists may not be present. Unfortunately, while thrombectomy is one of the most important treatments in reducing disability from stroke, it is not always available due to the limited number of stroke centers.
“Interventional radiologists have a bright future in stroke treatment, with the ability to grant more access to this life-saving procedure that cuts costs and reduces chronic disability,” said Martin Radvany, M.D., FSIR, chief of interventional neuroradiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “We first need to increase the number of interventional radiologists in stroke care. To do this, we need to expand stroke training opportunities at all levels of training from interventional residencies and fellowships to post-graduate continuing education.”
We’re working for a future that will see many more interventional radiologists in stroke care, increasing access for many patients and giving many afflicted with stroke a hopeful future.
An invaluable asset
Interventional radiologists are an invaluable asset to hospitals, whether we’re partnering in treating patients in trauma and oncology departments, or providing crucial treatments for complicated conditions, such as pulmonary embolism, brain aneurysms and cancer. In these treatments, interventional radiologists provide cutting-edge medicine that benefits both patients and hospitals. I hope that hospitals continue to see the value and prestige of this specialty in the same way that we do, and in the way that our partners in other specialties see us, as an integral part of the highest-quality patient care. 
Empowering the interventional radiologist encourages progress and ultimately brightens the future for modern medicine.
About the author: Suresh Vedantham is professor of radiology and surgery at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis. Vedantham is the 2017 president of the Society of Interventional Radiology.
Every day, the health care community makes great strides in improving patient care through life-saving medications, research that leads to new discoveries and the development of innovative treatments that are safer and more effective.
Interventional radiologists are pioneering these new treatments and reaching further into the body to overcome some of the greatest treatment challenges. Often practicing alongside health care professionals of various specialties, their distinctive skills have made them an integral part of the patient’s clinical care team.
Interventional radiology plays a critical collaborative role with other specialties, enhancing the range of treatments and solutions offered to patients in the hospital setting. Interventional radiologists have long been known to other physicians as the experts in performing medical procedures that use imaging for guidance. But more recently, interventional radiology has cemented its reputation as a unique, patient-centered clinical service. This recognition is evident in the certification in 2012 by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the largest physician-led specialty certification organization in the U.S., of interventional radiology as a primary specialty of medicine. Hospitals and health systems are investing in these services and empowering interventional radiology departments, not only for the many benefits they provide to patients, but because they can offer so much to the institution as a whole.
Through minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of medical conditions that once required open surgery, interventional radiology is reconceptualizing the practice of medicine and setting new standards of care. By harnessing the power of advanced imaging, such as ultrasound and MRI, we can see deeper and more clearly into a patient’s body and treat complex ailments far less invasively. This reduces the length of hospital stays, minimizes potential complications and saves lives. These services also consistently improve patient satisfaction. As patients become better educated on their treatment choices, more patients are electing interventional radiology treatments. In addition, interest in interventional radiology among medical students is growing thanks to the new interventional radiology residency programs designed to enhance training in this specialty and expand access to interventional radiology treatments nationwide.
Trauma care
Emergency situations often require the use of interventional radiology to help save patients’ lives. In the past, patients with active bleeding would be sent to surgery, increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. With the availability of interventional radiology 24 hours a day, this care is now invaluable in treating traumatic bleeding to stabilize patients so it is safe for a surgeon to go in and repair other damage caused by the trauma if necessary — or avoid surgery altogether.
“A rapid response time by the interventional radiology team is important to improve the outcomes of patients with severe trauma,” said Sue Ellen Hanks, M.D., FSIR, associate professor of clinical radiology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “Stopping hemorrhage through minimally invasive techniques has been shown to be a successful strategy that avoids unnecessary surgery and helps to minimize loss of organ function.”
Interventional radiology techniques such as embolization and stenting fit very well into trauma care protocols that emphasize non-operative management. But they have also largely replaced open surgery as the first-line approach to life-threatening bleeding from other causes, including gastrointestinal disorders, solid organs or childbirth. And, these same methods have been creatively harnessed by interventional radiologists beyond emergency care to provide patients with new treatment options for many chronic conditions including uterine fibroids, vascular disease, blood clots and many cancers.
This technology is constantly advancing, and the devices that are utilized will continue to get better, smaller and easier to use.
Stroke care
Through game-changing treatments such as thrombectomy, interventional radiologists have also been able to change the standard of care for stroke treatment and offer patients a better quality of life. Stroke care requires a multi-specialty team that includes many individuals with defined roles and must be provided within a very short time frame to be effective. The interventional radiologist has the background and training both to interpret brain imaging and to perform endovascular interventions and is available in many community hospitals where other specialists may not be present. Unfortunately, while thrombectomy is one of the most important treatments in reducing disability from stroke, it is not always available due to the limited number of stroke centers.
“Interventional radiologists have a bright future in stroke treatment, with the ability to grant more access to this life-saving procedure that cuts costs and reduces chronic disability,” said Martin Radvany, M.D., FSIR, chief of interventional neuroradiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “We first need to increase the number of interventional radiologists in stroke care. To do this, we need to expand stroke training opportunities at all levels of training from interventional residencies and fellowships to post-graduate continuing education.”
We’re working for a future that will see many more interventional radiologists in stroke care, increasing access for many patients and giving many afflicted with stroke a hopeful future.
An invaluable asset
Interventional radiologists are an invaluable asset to hospitals, whether we’re partnering in treating patients in trauma and oncology departments, or providing crucial treatments for complicated conditions, such as pulmonary embolism, brain aneurysms and cancer. In these treatments, interventional radiologists provide cutting-edge medicine that benefits both patients and hospitals. I hope that hospitals continue to see the value and prestige of this specialty in the same way that we do, and in the way that our partners in other specialties see us, as an integral part of the highest-quality patient care.
Suresh Vedantham, M.D., FSIR
About the author: Suresh Vedantham is professor of radiology and surgery at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis. Vedantham is the 2017 president of the Society of Interventional Radiology.