Interventional Radiology

The work of interventional radiologists consists of analyzing radiological images and, based on them, treating a wide range of diseases using the currently most minimally invasive technique. Interventional radiology procedures can achieve comparable results to conventional open or innovative “keyhole” surgery. However, in general, the latter, new imaging-guided procedures are less risky; many procedures can be done under local anesthesia (= local anesthesia) and patient recovery time is shorter.

Common radiological procedures for instrument guidance are:

• X-ray fluoroscopy
• Ultrasound
• Computed tomography

Our frequently used working instruments are plastic tubes (=catheters) inserted via a groin artery and metal vascular supports (=stents) or samples placed directly into an organ for diagnostic tissue sampling (=biopsy) and tumor killing (=ablation).

On the one hand, these procedures are used to diagnose and treat actual vascular diseases, such as shop window disease, threatening vascular dilatations (aneurysms) or internal bleeding (balloon dilatation, vascular prostheses, embolization). With technological progress, the spectrum of interventional treatable diseases is increasingly expanding, so that regular benign tumors (uterine fibroid, enlarged prostate) and malignant tumors can now also be cured in a targeted minimally invasive manner.