Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Do You Know Your Interventional Radiology?

Sometimes it’s fun to turn back the hands of time and learn a little bit about history. Medical history is fascinating, when you consider everything from origins of medicine all to invention of diagnostic imaging procedures. The invention of the wondrous X-Ray all the way to the CT scanner changed the face of medicine as we know it. Without diagnostic imaging we would be hard pressed to find treatment for complex conditions such as cancer. 



So what do you know about radiology? For starters we know that there is something known as interventional radiology. Interventional radiology is a sub-specialty that uses minimally invasive procedures in order to treat complex conditions. Now that you know the definition, let’s go through a little bit of the timeline in order to learn some more.

  • 1964 gave us the first angioplasty.
  • 1966 Embolization therapy to treat tumors and spinal cord vascular malformations by blocking the blood flow.
  • 1967 The Judkins technique of coronary angiography, the technique still most widely used around the world today.
  • 1967 Selective vasoconstriction infusions for hemorrhage, now commonly used for bleeding ulcers, GI bleeding and arterial bleeding
  • 1977-83 Bland- and chemo-Embolization for treatment of hepatocellular cancer and disseminated liver metastases.
  • 1985 Self-expandable stents.
  • 1994 The balloon-expandable coronary stent used today.
  • 1999 Developed the endovenous laser ablation procedure to treat varicose veins and venous disease.

These milestone developments are just a few and they cover some huge moments in radiology that have led to a far more effective manner of treatment for complex conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and other conditions that go beyond the scope of a simple over the counter medication.


Sometimes we look at procedures as a frightening experience but if we look at the benefits and the historical evolution we can better appreciate how useful and necessary they truly are. It doesn't matter if it’s interventional, or something a simple as an X- Ray, it’s vital for us to always stay on top of every situation by understanding not only the nature of the procedures but also a little bit of the history behind them.


If you have any questions about diagnostic imaging procedures such as X- Rays, MRI, CT scans, please feel free to give us a call. Our team of dedicated professionals here at Clermont Radiology looks forward to helping you.



Charla Hurst General
Operations Manager

Charla@ClermontRadiology.com  
352-241-6100 






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