Interventional Radiology

In order to know how interventional radiology came about and how it evolved into what we know what interventional radiology is today we have to understand what interventional radiology is. Interventional radiology is an imaging modality in radiology. It is the use of imaging to guide and assist in minimally invasive procedures in order to diagnose and treat diseases. “The specialty of interventional radiology overlaps with other fields, including interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, endoscopy, laparoscopy, and other minimally invasive techniques, such as biopsies” (2016). Due to interventional radiology overlapping with other fields interventional radiologists use CT, ultrasound, MRI, and even Fluoroscopy during certain procedures.

It was discovered that imaging could help patients avoid major surgery and instead go through minimally invasive procedures. This changed the way we think about diseases being diagnosed and treated with creating technological advances. Interventional radiology advances came about during clinical situations that didn’t go as planned. They developed safer techniques to treat disease, and then improved the tools that made clinical events safer. Then the new and improved procedure is compared to the old ways. They compare them with clinical situations, which is more costly and which is safer. Interventional radiology arose from diagnostic catheter angiography. “The seminal breakthrough that made catheter angiography possible was the description in 1953 by a Swedish radiologist, Sven Ivar Seldinger, of a simple technique (since called the Seldinger technique) that allowed for the percutaneous catheter replacement of a needle or trocar” (Baum & Baum, 2014). Aortography and selective arteriography turned into a risk free procedure after Sven Ivar Seldinger’s method was produced. These procedures became popular which resulted in creating new tools to use like “automatic power injectors, rapid film changers, image intensifiers, video systems, and cineangiography” (Baum & Baum,

(2016, May 13). Retrieved June 13, 2017, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=34211

Imaging and radiology. (2015, October 3). Retrieved June 13, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007451.htm

Baum, R. A., & Baum, S. (2014, November). Interventional Radiology: A Half Century of Innovation. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from