Interventional radiology is the practice of using 3-dimensional images to plan and perform noninvasive surgery and to "intervene" in treating head, neck, spine, vessel and heart conditions that once would have required traditional open surgery. The foundation of this new area of practice is "biplane imaging." Interventional radiology represents a major medical breakthrough that is saving lives, and Riverside is the only local treatment facility with the on-site technology and physician expertise to be able to offer this lifesaving treatment.
We specialize in interventional neuroradiology, the treatment of head, spine and neck conditions without the use of invasive traditional open surgery. By feeding tiny tools through a catheter inserted into your groin, doctors use the tools to treat life-threatening conditions including blood clots and aneurysms.
The role of biplane imaging in interventional radiology
The most advanced interventional medical imaging technology in the world is biplane imaging, a digital X-ray technology that uses two mounted rotating cameras, one on each side of you, to take simultaneous pictures. The cameras move front to back and side to side and produce an image quality that is capable of showing detailed vessel and soft tissue anatomy previously unavailable. The two sets of images are brought together on a computer screen to form a three-dimensional portrait of the area your doctor wants to study.
Biplane imaging also allows doctors to follow the path of blood flow through your vessels and to create a "roadmap" for reaching and treating the precise location of disease or malformation. Also known as angiography, this process involves inserting a small catheter into an artery, a similar procedure to getting an IV. A small amount of dye that makes it easier to see the blood flow through your vessels is injected into the catheter.
The biplane imaging cameras take detailed X-rays that are shown in real time on a monitor just a few feet from where your doctors watch it travel through your system. They are quickly able to determine if there are blockages or malformations such as aneurysms. They are able to obtain a map of your vessels in order to decide the best route or means of reaching the target area to provide treatment. They are also able to determine a lot about your condition that will tell them what treatment they should provide. Some conditions are unable to be treated through interventional methods and may require traditional surgery.
There are many types of interventional treatments that can be rendered using biplane imaging including coiling, carotid stenting, embolization, thrombolysis, vertebroplasty and vasospasm.