How does interventional radiology work?
Interventional radiology evolved in the early 1960s from diagnostic angiography and the work of Dr. Charles Dotter, who prevented the amputation of an elderly woman’s severely gangrenous foot by unblocking an artery with a tiny hollow tube.FunctionInterventional radiology specialists read medical images, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, to guide tiny instruments through organs and blood vessels.HistoryInterventional radiologists revolutionized medicine by inventing angioplasty in 1964 and catheter-delivered stenting in 1969. Both involve guiding a tube called a catheter through veins and arteries to open them for improved blood flow.SignificanceInterventional radiology pioneered procedures that are usually less invasive than traditional surgical techniques. Conditions that previously required surgery can be treated without surgery using interventional radiology, according to the Society of Interventional Radiology.FeaturesInterventional radiology professionals make small cuts in the ski