Interventional radiology has developed tremendously since the term was first coined some 30 years ago.1,2 Its minimally invasive nature has made it suitable for use in emergencies and in cases when even the surgeons do not know where to begin. Radiological procedures rival surgical operations in the treatment of aneurysms (Figure 1). More »
CT has always played a prominent role in the evaluation of musculoskeletal pathology. With the advent of spiral CT and, most recently, multidetector row CT (MDCT), the data sets available for image analysis and for postprocessing and display have unprecedented image resolution and detail. Concurrent with this advance is the development of postprocessing techniques, especially three-dimensional volume rendering. More »
Researchers from the Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris have compared the expense of radio-frequency ablation and cryoablation, based on the destruction of one 2- or 3-cm tumor in more than 50 procedures at a Paris hospital. Their findings, presented as a poster at ESGAR 2001, showed both procedures to be more expensive than percutaneous ethanol injection. Costs would fall by 5% to 10% for RF ablation and by 25% to 30% for cryoablation if the annual numbers of each procedure doubled, the... More »
Already established in the liver and kidneys, radio-frequency ablation has shown early promise as a treatment for unresectable lung tumors. One of the first studies on the technique, presented by Korean researchers in May at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting, found high mortality from the procedure but few complications among patients who responded well. In 19 patients with unresectable lung cancer ranging from stage Ib to IV, eight patients remained alive at six months of follow-up. The... More »
Interventional radiology of the future may appear to resemble its present-day practice, relying on foundation techniques honed for decades: image-guided arterial access, device placement, and therapy delivery. The real action, however, may be going on below the surface, as existing therapies team up in new combinations and refinements increasingly involve the molecular level. More »
Focused ultrasound surgery is emerging as a favorable alternative to existing treatments for liver cancer, although the technique still has to satisfy clinical trials. More »
Percutaneous options for hepatic tumor treatment are expanding, even as the incidence of primary and metastatic liver tumors continues to rise. While surgery remains the treatment of choice for patients meeting criteria for resection, results from minimally invasive treatments have exceeded those obtained with conventional chemotherapy or radiation, and it is possible that one or more of these techniques may soon vie with surgery as a treatment of choice for patients with liver tumors. More »
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multicentric malignant tumor. The underlying liver disease of HCC is most often chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis of viral, or less commonly alcoholic, origin. The only method of detecting the tumor before it becomes advanced is screening the patient with ultrasound every six months. Even if the detected tumor is single, other tumors will appear eventually, the time delay depending on various factors. More »
Interventional radiologists can use ultrasound guidance and radio-frequency ablation to treat varicose veins, researchers at the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology annual meeting said. More »
