A Minimally Invasive, State-of-the-Art Alternative to Open Surgery

Interventional radiology is a minimally invasive method of diagnosing and treating a wide range of health conditions. For some patients, it can eliminate the need for open surgery. The board-certified interventional radiologists of Keck Medicine of USC have the technical and clinical expertise to apply the most advanced interventional radiology techniques personalized to your specific needs. Their capabilities ensure treatments maximize treatment efficacy, minimize pain and facilitate a faster recovery so you can return to your daily activities as soon as possible.

What Is Interventional Radiology?

While interventional radiology is not suitable for all patients, this alternative to open surgery can minimize pain, eliminate the need for a hospital stay, lead to a faster recovery and lower the risk of complication and infections.

Instead of performing open surgery, interventional radiologists make a small incision in your body, such as in your groin or wrist area. Through this incision, they insert a small instrument — usually a small, hollow catheter tube — through which they can perform a variety of treatment procedures, such as treating tumors or kidney stones, treating strokes, removing blood clots or fibroids, or stopping bleeding. During procedures, doctors use real-time X-ray or ultrasound imaging to guide their instruments and movements.

Interventional radiology procedures can treat a wide range of health conditions across nearly every organ system of the body, ranging from heart disease to cancer. It is used to treat stroke, bleeding in the brain, benign tumors, certain types of cancer, uterine fibroids, spine fractures and pelvic pain, among other conditions.

Using advanced imaging and diagnostic tools, interventional radiologists are able to create the most effective treatment plan for you. If you have a challenging condition, interventional radiologists are often called upon by other doctors to help assist, both with inpatient and outpatient treatment.

Conditions We Treat

Our interventional radiologists use minimally invasive, image-guided interventional radiology procedures to treat a wide array of health concerns, including:

• Cancer (e.g., kidney, liver and lung cancer; bone metastases)
• Chronic pain
• Gastrointestinal issues (e.g., gastrointestinal bleeding, enteral access, management of abscesses)
• Hepatobiliary and portal hypertensive disorders (e.g., cirrhosis-related complications, portal vein thrombosis, biliary obstruction)
• Lymphatic disorders (e.g., chylous leaks, lymphedema)
• Musculoskeletal issues
• Postpartum hemorrhaging
• Pulmonary and thoracic issues (e.g., pulmonary embolism, pleural disease)
• Renal and genitourinary conditions (e.g., obstructive uropathy, complex urinary drainage)
• Thromboembolic and chronic venous disease (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism)
• Urologic issues (kidney obstruction, ureteral strictures)
• Women’s and men’s health conditions (e.g., uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, varicoceles, infertility-related venous disease)

Treatments We Provide

Our interventional radiologists specialize in a wide array of advanced, minimally invasive procedures, including:

• Ablation
• Arterial and venous interventions
• Biopsies
• Dialysis and venous access care
• Drain, tube and stent placement
• Embolization and trauma-related hemorrhage control (stopping unwanted blood flow)
• Foreign body retrieval
• Image-guided cancer treatments
• Management of portal hypertension and complex hepatobiliary disorders
• Nonvascular procedures
• Pain intervention
• Radiation treatment
• Vertebral augmentation