Interventional Radiology

The medical specialty of interventional radiology uses innovative, minimally invasive technology to provide an accurate diagnosis and advanced treatment for many health conditions, in addition to helping manage pain and symptoms of disease.

Innovative Technology & Expert Care Close to Home

When you choose OU Health for interventional radiology, you’ll find a wide range of targeted procedures, treatments and services at easily accessible facilities in Oklahoma City. Also, you’ll work with an expert multidisciplinary team of highly trained and extensively experienced doctors, specialists and health professionals who focus on ensuring you achieve the best possible outcomes for your specific situation.

Benefits of Interventional Radiology

With its minimally invasive techniques, interventional radiology offers you and your doctors more treatment options with significant benefits, including:

• Procedures typically performed on an outpatient basis or with only a short hospital stay

• Usually no need for general anesthesia

• Reduced risk when compared with open surgical procedures

• Frequently results in less pain and shorter recovery times

• May cost less than other treatment options

• Provides access to some of the greatest advances in medicine

Conditions Treated with Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiology treatments can help with pain management and improve symptoms of vascular disease, pulmonary embolism, vein conditions, stroke, uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, spine and bone conditions, dialysis access, urologic issues and more.

In addition, interventional radiology minimizes involvement of healthy tissue and allows greater precision in targeting many types of cancer, both primary and metastatic, such as:

• Bladder

• Bone

• Breast

• Colorectal

• Endocrine

• Kidney

• Liver

• Lung

• Neurologic

• Pancreatic

Interventional Radiology Services & Treatments

Interventional radiologists use X-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other advanced imaging tools combined with complex treatment planning software to precisely guide tiny instruments through blood vessels and around organs to reach deep into the body through small incisions, if needed.

At OU Health, you and your doctors may select from a variety of interventional radiology services and treatments such as:

• Ablation, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation – Uses heat or cold to help shrink or remove unwanted tissue or destroy cancer cells in a tumor

• Angioplasty or stent – Opens one or more blocked blood vessels

• Biopsy, transjugular liver biopsy – Gathers a tissue sample for evaluation and diagnosis

• Drainage with PleurX™ catheter and others– Releases condition-related fluid build-up in chest cavity or other body areas

• Embolization – Cuts off blood supply to a tumor or aneurysm; treats prostate artery, ureter, gonadal vein, benign renal angiomyolipoma (AML), renal cell carcinoma (RCC)/bladder/prostate metastases

• High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) – Also known as MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), is a noninvasive treatment that uses high-frequency sound waves to precisely target and eliminate cells in abnormal tissue while sparing healthy tissue. HIFU is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating prostate cancer. HIFU also treats benign tumors, essential tremors, and cancer-related bone pain. Benefits include no blood loss, low risk of erectile dysfunction or incontinence, no radiation exposure, and a quick recovery, with most patients returning to normal activities within 24 hours.

• Liver-directed therapies, ranging from multifocal/diffuse to unifocal/small – Includes Y90 radiation therapy, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), bland embolization, stent placement, drainage/diversion, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension

• Pain management – Includes spinal procedures such as kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, as well as vein ablation or ablation for peripheral bone metastases

• Urologic interventions – Includes treatment for pelvic congestion syndrome; percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN), ureteroplasty, stent internalization; high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for noninvasive urologic treatment

• Vascular access port placement, typically for dialysis or chemotherapy treatment

• Vascular (inferior vena cava/IVC) filter placement, removal or reconstruction – Helps prevent pulmonary embolism

• Vascular intervention, including stent placement – Treats arterial and venous obstructions/stenoses, peripheral artery disease (PAD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), coronary artery disease (CAD), SVC syndrome, May-Thurner disease (iliocaval vein compression), aneurysm, uterine fibroids or cancer and more

Your Expert Interventional Radiology Team

You and your doctor can rely on the expert OU Health interventional radiology team to collaborate with you throughout your treatment. You can take advantage of advanced, minimally invasive procedures performed by highly skilled physicians, radiologists and technicians trained in the latest evidenced-based techniques and using nationally recognized best practices for your safety.

When you choose OU Health for interventional radiology cancer care, you also benefit from the guidance, advocacy and assistance of cancer navigation services and supportive care services designed to ease your journey through the healthcare environment.