Interventional radiologists are vascular experts who invented angioplasty and stenting in the 1960’s and first used them to treat blocked arteries in the legs. Among the most innovative techniques in medicine today, these minimally invasive procedures use state-of-the-art image guided equipment, which enables interventional radiologists to see and treat the vascular system throughout the body without open surgery. Interventional Associates treats vascular disease at all hospital locations and consults with patients in our office.
Interventional radiologists use a variety of targeted treatments and techniques to treat vascular disease. Over time, the blood vessels may weaken or become so clogged that the blood supply to affected parts of the body is reduced or blocked. Most arterial vascular disease is caused by atherosclerosis, often called “hardening of the arteries”, where "plaque" builds up inside the blood vessels. In some cases, deadly complications can result, including stroke, in which a clogged or narrowed blood vessel cuts the supply of blood to the brain. Please contact us or call our main office at 610-275-8346 to learn more about the treatments we provide for vascular diseases.
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD, sometimes called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD) is a condition where the arteries that carry blood to the legs (and, less frequently, the arms) become narrow or clogged. PVD is a very common condition affecting 12-20 percent of Americans age 65 and older. The most common symptom of PVD is claudication, which is leg pain that occurs when walking or exercising and disappears when the person stops the activity. Other symptoms of PAD include: numbness and tingling in the lower legs and feet; coldness in the lower legs and feet; and ulcers or sores on the legs or feet that don't heal.
Interventional Associates most commonly treats vascular disease with the following procedures and performs these at all local hospitals:
Angioplasty and Stenting
Interventional radiologists pioneered angioplasty and stenting.
Using imaging for guidance, the interventional radiologist threads a catheter
through the femoral artery in the groin, to the blocked artery in the llegs.
If a vein has been narrowed or damaged, the interventional radiologist
or other physician performs a balloon angioplasty, a procedure in which a
tiny balloon is inflated to press open the narrowed blood vessel. In some
cases this is then held open with a stent, a tiny metal cylinder inserted
to hold the blood vessel open. This is a minimally invasive treatment that
does not require surgery, just a nick in the skin the size of a pencil tip.
Blood Clot Removal (Thrombolysis)
If a blockage in an artery is caused by a blood clot, Interventional Radiologists
use "clot busting" drugs (thrombolytic agents) injected through
a catheter to eliminate the clot and restore blood flow. This procedure
dissolves blood without surgery. Performed in a hospital Interventional
Radiology suite, the physician inserts the catheter into the affected vessel
and delivers the dissolving drug to the clot through the catheter tube.
Carotid artery disease is a condition in which the arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain become clogged and may cause a stroke. Interventional Radiologists use an ingenious FDA approved mesh stent with a parachute like device to clear plaque and debris from the artery and restore the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain. The stent is placed in the carotid artery from a catheter that is inserted in the groin area. The interventional radiologist uses x-ray guidance to place the stent at the precise location required.
An aneurysm is a weak area in the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As blood flows through the aorta, the weak area bulges like a balloon and can burst if the balloon gets too big. An aortic aneurysm is a weak area in the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As blood flows through the aorta, the weak area bulges like a balloon and can burst if the balloon gets too big. In the past 30 years, the occurrence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) has increased threefold. AAA is often called a "silent killer" because there are usually no obvious symptoms of the disease. Three out of four aneurysms show no symptoms at the time they are diagnosed. Aneurysms can occur in other arteries throughout the body, and these may also be amenable to treatment with Stent-Grafts.
