Articles
Articles are a collaborative effort to provide a single canonical page on all topics relevant to the practice of radiology. As such, articles are written and edited by countless contributing members over a period of time. A global group of dedicated editors oversee accuracy, consulting with expert advisers, and constantly reviewing additions.
233 results found
Article
Metallic ureteric stent
Metallic ureteric stents are a type of ureteric stent developed to offer improved symptomatic relief of obstruction when compared to polymeric (polyurethane) stents. They are often used in patients with chronic malignant ureteric obstructions who require placement of long-term ureteral stents to...
Article
Inferior vena cava filter
Inferior vena cava filter, or just IVC filter, is an endovascular device that is typically placed in the infrarenal inferior vena cava (IVC) to prevent pulmonary embolism in selected patients. This procedure is most often performed by interventional radiologists under fluoroscopic guidance.
Ind...
Article
Intra-aortic balloon pump
Intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) are used in the intensive care setting to provide hemodynamic assistance to patients in cardiogenic shock.
Function and physiology
The device is comprised of a catheter introduced via a femoral artery sheath, which extends retrogradely to the proximal descendi...
Article
Liver and biliary interventional procedures
There is a wide range of liver and biliary interventional procedures, both diagnostic and therapeutic, most commonly using CT-guidance or ultrasound-guidance.
Vascular Interventions:
transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)
transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB)
Percutaneous...
Article
Ureteric stent
Ureteric stents, also known as ureteral stents, double J stents, JJ stents or retrograde ureteric stents, are urological catheters that have two "J-shaped" (curled) ends, where one is anchored in the renal pelvis and the other inside the bladder.
Stents are used for the free passage of urine fr...
Article
Percutaneous renal biopsy
Percutaneous renal biopsy, utilizing either ultrasound or CT, allows for an accurate, reliable method of acquiring renal tissue for histopathological assessment.
The biopsy may be of a native or transplant kidney. It is divided into two types:
non-focal or non-targeted
focal or targeted ...
Article
Percutaneous nephrostomy salvage and tube exchange
Percutaenous nephrostomy salvage and tube exchange are two procedures undertaken in those with long term nephrostomies. These patients are often either unsuitable or do not wish to have ureteric stenting to relieve their urinary tract obstruction.
Nephrostomy salvage
Nephrostomy salvage is und...
Article
CT guided percutaneous drainage
CT guided percutaneous drainage is one form of image-guided drainage, allowing minimally invasive treatment of collections, potentially anywhere in the body. Although less commonly used than ultrasound guidance, it is particularly valuable in gaining access to deeper or more posterior parts of t...
Article
Ultrasound guided percutaneous drainage
Ultrasound guided percutaneous drainage is one form of image guided procedure, allowing minimally invasive treatment of collections that are accessible by ultrasound study.
It has several advantages and disadvantages over CT, which include:
Advantages
is a dynamic study, allowing greater p...
Article
Ultrasound-guided biopsy
Ultrasound-guided biopsy is one form of image-guided biopsy, typically performed by a radiologist. It is the most common form of image-guided biopsy, offering convenience and real-time dynamic observation with echogenic markers on cannulae allowing for precise placement.
It can potentially be u...
Article
Antegrade ureteric stent
Antegrade ureteric stents are performed under fluoroscopic guidance, typically by an interventional radiologist or urologist. It is performed via percutaneous access from the kidney. It is usually performed using the access from a prior percutaneous nephrostomy, a so-called two-step procedure, a...
Article
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a surgical procedure for the extraction of large renal calculi. It is usually performed in the operating theater either by a urologist or combined urologist-radiologist team.
Indication
PCNL is used to destroy and remove renal calculi, typically over 2 cm...
Article
CT dose index
CT dose index (CTDI) (measured in mGy) is a standardized measure of radiation dose output of a CT scanner which allows the user to compare radiation output of different CT scanners. In the past CTDI100 (measured over a 100 mm long ionization chamber) and CTDIw (weighted average of dose across a ...
Article
Femoral artery pseudoaneurysm
Femoral artery pseudoaneurysms are usually iatrogenic, as the femoral artery is the vessel of choice for most endovascular arterial interventions.
Pathology
Etiology
iatrogenic
anticoagulation therapy
inadequate compression following femoral arterial puncture for endovascular intervention
...
Article
Retroaortic left renal vein
Retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV) is a normal anatomical variant where the left renal vein is located between the aorta and the vertebra and drains into the inferior vena cava.
Its recognition is important in order to avoid complications during retroperitoneal surgery or interventional procedu...
Article
Selective internal radiation therapy
Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT), also known as transarterial radioembolization (TARE) or hepatic radioembolization, is a relatively new and developing modality for treating non-resectable liver tumors. The procedure consists of a transcatheter injection of radioactive particles via t...
Article
Percutaneous nephrostomy
Percutaneous nephrostomy is a form of nephrostomy in which percutaneous access to the kidney is achieved under radiological guidance. The access is then often maintained with the use of an indwelling catheter.
Indications
Percutaneous nephrostomy is usually reserved for when retrograde approac...
Article
Percutaneous cholecystostomy
Percutaneous cholecystostomy is the image-guided placement of a drainage catheter into the gallbladder lumen. This minimally invasive procedure can aid in patient stabilization in order to enable a more measured surgical approach with time for therapeutic planning.
A 2018 study demonstrated no ...
Article
Stereotactic breast biopsy
Stereotactic breast biopsy refers to percutaneous sampling of breast tissue using mammographic guidance for targeting.
Indications
It is the biopsy method of choice when the finding of interest is best seen on mammography, such as microcalcifications (most common), architectural distortion, or...
Article
Chorionic villus sampling
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is an antenatal procedure for prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal or genetic disorders in the fetus. It entails getting a sample of the chorionic villus (placental tissue) and testing it.
A transabdominal or transcervical approach is selected depending on the posit...
Article
Amniocentesis
Amniocentesis, also known as amniotic fluid testing or AFT, is a diagnostic or therapeutic medical procedure primarily used in prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections.
A small amount of amniotic fluid (15-20 ml), which contains fetal tissue, is extracted from the am...
Article
CT guided thoracic biopsy
CT guided thoracic biopsy is usually performed for the diagnosis of suspicious lung, pleural, or mediastinal lesions. It can be performed as an outpatient procedure where patient monitoring and complications support are available. A small percentage of lung and pleural biopsies may be performed...
Article
Caudal epidural injection
Caudal epidural injections, or sacral hiatus epidural injections, are one of several possible spinal epidural injections.
Indications
Typically, epidural injections are performed in patients who are currently not surgical candidates. The caudal injection can be performed when patients are on ...
Article
Carotid arterial stenting
Carotid arterial stenting (CAS) is a minimally invasive endovascular interventional procedure that can potentially offer the same advantage as surgery (carotid endarterectomy).
Indications
Indications for carotid stenting are evolving with endarterectomy trials that evaluate the carotid stenos...
Article
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
Vertebroplasty and its balloon-assisted variant, kyphoplasty, are imaging-guided procedures that involve percutaneous injection of surgical polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement into a diseased vertebral body. Vertebroplasty provides pain relief and strengthens the bone of vertebrae weakened by d...
Article
Interventional procedure article structure
Interventional procedure articles necessarily require a different structure to other articles. It is important for them to have a consistent structure to maintain uniformity across the site. The suggested structure and headings (and heading size) are as follows:
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Article
Uterine artery embolization
Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an interventional radiological technique to occlude the arterial supply to the uterus and is performed for various reasons.
History
Uterine artery embolization has been practised for more than 20 years for controlling hemorrhage following delivery/abortion,...
Article
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) is a radiographic technique employed in the visualization of the biliary tree and can be used as the first step in a number of percutaneous biliary interventions (e.g. percutaneous transhepatic biliary stent placement)
Indications
Purely diagnost...
Article
Jugular venous catheters
The internal jugular vein is a preferred site for venous access for large lumen, long-term central venous catheters for chemotherapy, hemofiltration and plasma exchange. These are commonly referred to as (internal) jugular venous (IJV) catheters.
Typically, the right internal jugular is used as...
Article
Left paramediastinal catheter position (differential)
When a central venous catheter that is supposed to terminate in the superior vena cava or right atrium is abnormally located to the left of the mediastinum and below the level of the brachiocephalic vein, a limited differential of left paramediastinal catheter position should be considered 1:
l...
Article
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS or TIPSS) is a treatment for portal hypertension in which direct communication is formed between a hepatic vein and a branch of the portal vein, thus allowing some proportion of portal flow to bypass the liver. The target portosystemic gradient...
Article
Breast ductography
Breast ductography (a.k.a. galactography) is an imaging technique which is used to evaluate lesions causing nipple discharge. It helps in precisely locating the mass within breast tissue and gives useful information for surgical approach and planning.
Technique
A blunt-tipped sialogram needle ...
Article
MR arthrogram solution
MR arthrogram solution is a gadolinium-containing mixture injected into a joint for MR arthrography.
Terminology
Fluoroscopy, ultrasound or CT guidance can be used to cannulate a joint, which is then injected with the MR arthrogram solution. MR arthrogram solutions differ in different instit...
Article
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy, also known as sealed source radiotherapy or endocurietherapy, is a form of radiotherapy where a radioactive source is placed, under the guidance of imaging, within or next to the area requiring treatment. This provides localized targeted internal radiation.
Brachytherapy has been...
Article
Barium swallow
Barium swallow is a dedicated test of the pharynx, esophagus, and proximal stomach, and may be performed as a single or double contrast study. The study is often "modified" to suit the history and symptoms of the individual patient, but it is often useful to evaluate the entire pathway from the ...
Article
Peripherally inserted central catheter
Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), often incorrectly tautologically termed PICC lines, are a type of central venous catheter predominantly used amongst oncology patients and those with chronic diseases (e.g. cystic fibrosis).
They offer the ability to have long-term central venous...
Article
Celiac plexus block
Celiac plexus block under image guidance is an easy and safe percutaneous procedure with good outcomes for pain palliation in patients who have chronic abdominal pain related to the celiac plexus.
This usually includes patients with advanced cancers, especially from upper abdominal viscera, su...
Article
Endotension
Endotension, also referred to as a type V endoleak, is not a true leak but is defined as continued expansion of the aneurysm sac greater than 5 mm, without radiographic evidence of a leak site.
Pathology
It is a poorly understood phenomenon but thought to be formation of a transudate due to ul...
Article
Varicocele
Varicocele is the dilatation of the pampiniform plexus of veins, a network of many small veins found in the male spermatic cord. It is the most frequently encountered mass of the spermatic cord.
Epidemiology
The estimated incidence is at ~15% of the general male population and ~40% of subferti...
Article
Call-Fleming syndrome
Call-Fleming syndrome, also called Call syndrome, essentially synonymous with the more current term reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), although it is felt to be a subset of the former by some, representing the idiopathic RCVS.
Call-Flemming syndrome is therefore characterize...
Article
Endovascular aneurysm repair
Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) was first pioneered in the early 1990s. Since then the technology of the devices has rapidly progressed and EVAR is now widely used as a treatment of thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
The advantages of endovascular repair over open repair are tha...
Article
Endoleak
Endoleaks are characterized by persistent blood flow within the aneurysm sac following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Normally the aortic stent-graft used for EVAR excludes the aneurysm from the circulation by providing a conduit for blood to bypass the sac.
Epidemiology
An endoleak is a...
Article
May-Thurner syndrome
May-Thurner syndrome refers to a chronic compression of the left common iliac vein (CIV) against the lumbar vertebrae by the overlying right common iliac artery (CIA), with or without deep venous thrombosis 2.
Although both left and right CIVs lie deep to the right common iliac artery, the left...
Article
Transforaminal epidural steroid injection
Transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI), also known as transforaminal nerve root injections or nerve root blocks, are performed for the treatment and diagnosis of radicular pain. They differ from selective nerve root blocks (SNRB), as the aim is to get an "epidural spill" and get the ...
Article
Spinal epidural injection
Epidural spinal injections are one of the more frequently performed spinal interventional procedures. Three approaches to the epidural space exist:
caudal epidural injection (via the sacral hiatus)
interlaminar epidural injection
cervical interlaminar epidural injection
lumbar in...
Article
Sacroiliac joint injection
Sacroiliac joint injections can be performed using a posterior approach into the sacroiliac (SI) joint under fluoroscopic or CT guidance. It is often performed bilaterally.
Indications
diagnostic: relief of pain after injection of local anesthetic
therapeutic: to relieve pain from degene...
Article
Facet joint injection
Facet (zygapophyseal) joint injections are performed primarily for the diagnosis and differentiation of facet syndrome and radicular pain syndrome, and are one of the spinal interventional procedures. They can be performed under fluoroscopic, or CT image guidance, and cervical, thoracic or most ...