Interventional radiology is a sub-specialty of radiology. It uses image-guidance to perform minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat a range of diseases.

It’s used to treat a wide range of conditions. This includes conditions affecting the blood vessels or lymph vessels (vascular conditions) and gastrointestinal problems. It also plays a vital role in cancer care, by allowing treatments to be delivered directly to tumours.

Benefits

Interventional radiology has several benefits compared to more traditional methods. These include:

• precise diagnosis
• minimal invasiveness
• shorter recovery times
• fewer complications

As a result, it’s a key part of modern medicine.

Many procedures can be done on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to go home the same day.

Procedures we perform

Diagnostic procedures include:

• biopsies
• fluid analysis, for disease diagnosis and staging.

Therapeutic procedures to treat disease include:

• angioplasty
• embolization
• ablation
• pain management techniques.

Before your appointment

We want to ensure you are fully informed and prepared for your procedure, so please contact your team with any questions or concerns you have. You can also check your appointment letter to see if you need to do anything to prepare for your appointment.

Day case patients

Day case patients will have a pre-operative assessment. At this assessment, you will get instructions to follow in the hours and days before your procedure.

Inpatients

If you are being admitted as an inpatient for your procedure, the clinical team managing your care will give you instructions on how to prepare before your admission date.

On the day

On the day of your procedure you may bring:

• your appointment letter
• a list of any medicines you are taking

It’s important not to eat anything for at least:

• four hours before the procedure if you are having a local anaesthetic only
• six hours before the procedure if you are having a general anaesthetic or sedation.

You can drink clear fluids, like water, black tea or black coffee, however you must not drink anything in the two hours before the procedure.

Continue taking your regular medications, except for any blood-thinning ones if instructed.

Day case patients

Please arrive at the interventional radiology department at 8am.

A nurse will admit you in the unit and show you to your bay.

You will change into a hospital gown. You will have some standard checks (called observations) such as blood pressure, and we will ask you some pre-procedure questions.

A small tube, called an intravenous cannula, will be inserted into your hand or arm. This is to administer any medications that are needed.

Inpatients

The staff on the ward you are staying on will make sure you are prepared for your procedure. For example, by completing standard checks (observations) such as taking your blood pressure, and by inserting a small tube, called an intravenous cannula, into your hand or arm. This is to administer any medications that are needed.

A member of the ward staff will then take you to the interventional radiology department.

Patient information leaflets

Kidney biopsy – Image guided
Kidney mass biopsy – Image guided
Lung Biopsy – Image guided

Location

First Floor, South Wing, Princess Royal University Hospital

Contact Details

Tel: 01689 863671

Email: kch-tr.IRNursesPRUH@nhs.net

How to refer

GPs and referrers from other hospitals should refer to the relevant medical specialty.

If the referral is accepted, the medical specialty will then coordinate with the interventional radiology team.

Please provide all relevant results, including CT scans, X-rays, MRI and blood tests. Give detailed information about the patient’s medications, especially any anticoagulants. It would also be helpful to know in advance if your patient will need sedation or general anaesthesia, based on your clinical assessment.