Interventional radiology: Expert care when you need minimally-invasive treatment

The prostate, located just below a man’s bladder, is a small gland that helps produce semen. As men age into their 50s or 60s, it is common for the prostate to get bigger and cause people to wake up at night to urinate more often or experience a weaker, dribbling flow of urine. Some patients may benefit from an interventional radiology procedure called prostate artery embolization (PAE) that reduces blood flow to the prostate, causing it to shrink.

Hemorrhoids are swollen and inflamed veins in or around the anus and lower rectum. They can be internal, forming in the lining of the anus and lower rectum, or external, forming under the skin around the anus. Hemorrhoids occur when there is pressure on the veins in the area.

When surgery is not an option, interventional radiology allows for precise treatment while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. IR can also be used for cancer biopsies to diagnose disease and monitor treatment effectiveness.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in or on the wall of the uterus. Many women do not have symptoms, but those who do can experience heavy menstrual bleeding, lower back pain or pain during sex. Women are most prone to uterine fibroids during the years when they can become pregnant and give birth.

Venous diseases occur when the valves in veins are damaged, which can cause blood to pool or flow backward causing blood clots.

A blood clot develops in a deep vein, usually in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis. DVT can occur when veins are injured, or blood flow is sluggish.

Varicose veins is a common disease that affects about 15% of the US population. Varicose veins generally do not pose a great health risk.

Damaged leg veins prevent blood from circulating back to the heart. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and leg ulcers.

A thyroid nodule is an abnormal tissue or lump that grows on the thyroid. Most thyroid nodules are small and benign but they should be examined to be sure. Some thyroid nodules can be treated with ablation or thyroid artery embolization.

Knee pain has many causes, including osteoarthritis. Joint repair or replacement surgery is a great option for many people, but not everybody is ready for surgery for one reason or another. UW Health interventional radiologists offer genicular artery embolization and genicular nerve ablation as non-surgical alternatives.

Angioplasty restores blood flow in arteries and veins without open surgery. The doctor inserts a long thin tube, or catheter, into a blood vessel and guides it to the location of the blockage. Once there, the doctor inflates a small balloon at the tip of the catheter, moving the blockage out of the way. In many cases, the doctor uses the same technique to implant a stent — a small expandable metal mesh coil to keep the blood vessel open and help prevent future blockages.

This technique is used to treat a variety of conditions by blocking certain blood vessels. The interventional radiologist places a device in a blood vessel to stop or reduce the blood flow in that vessel. Embolization can be used in the treatment of knee pain (genicular artery embolization), benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate artery embolization), uterine fibroids (uterine artery embolization), hemorrhoids (hemorrhoid artery embolization, or thyroid goiter (thyroid artery embolization).

If a patient cannot take food by mouth, a doctor will insert a feeding tube into the stomach.

Histotripsy is a non-invasive treatment for liver cancer patients. Ultrasound technology is used to rapidly expand and contract microbubbles to destroy tumors.

This technique is used when a doctor needs to obtain a tissue sample from almost any part of the body. Biopsy is often performed to confirm or rule out the presence of cancer.

Some patients who receive chemotherapy or other I.V. medication will have a port, which is a device implanted under the skin to allow for easy access to the veins.

This procedure is used to treat certain cancerous tumors with a needle and heat. This heated needle kills the cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. Ablation can also be used to treat thyroid nodules (thyroid ablation) and knee pain (genicular nerve ablation).

Thermal and non-thermal techniques, including using heat, extreme cold and focused ultrasound are used to destroy certain cancerous tumors. Ablation aims to kill the cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. Ablation can be used for liver cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid nodules, knee pain (genicular nerve ablation), lung cancer, vascular malformations, among other indications.