What is Vascular/ Interventional Radiology, and why does it matter to you.
Vascular /Interventional radiology (also known as VIR) involves minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of medical conditions that once required surgery.
Interventional radiologists are medical doctors with additional six or seven years of specialized training after medical school requiring sub-specialized fellowship training after a diagnostic radiology residency. They are certified by the American Board of Radiology.
The concept behind interventional radiology is to treat patients using the least invasive techniques currently available to minimize risk to patients and improve health outcomes. Utilizing contemporary imaging techniques, interventional radiologists can effectively treat various complex medical conditions through a pinhole incision with unprecedented precision. This results in reduced risk, less pain, and shorter recovery times. Many of the conditions treated with these techniques involve the vascular system and because of this focus, Interventional Radiologists are considered Vascular Specialists.
Frequently, IR procedures are also more effective than their traditional surgical counterpart. Many minimally invasive image-guided procedures performed by IR have supplanted major surgical procedures.
Today, Interventional Radiology is synonymous with modern medicine.
