Editing Radiology (section)

== Interventional radiology ==
{{main|Interventional radiology|interventional radiology = }}
Interventional radiology (IR or sometimes VIR for vascular and interventional radiology) is a subspecialty of radiology in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. Some of these procedures are done for purely diagnostic purposes (e.g., [[angiogram]]), while others are done for treatment purposes (e.g., [[angioplasty]]).{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

The basic concept behind interventional radiology is to diagnose or treat [[pathology|pathologies]], with the most minimally invasive technique possible. Minimally invasive procedures are currently performed more than ever before. These procedures are often performed with the patient fully awake, with little or no sedation required. Interventional radiologists and interventional radiographers<ref name="Intervention as an Extended Role: My Journey">{{cite web | url=http://www.ukrc.org.uk/assets/Speaker%20presentations%202014/Tuesday/5C%20-%20Service%20delivery%20-%20Extending%20the%20role%20of%20the%20radiographer/5C_Developing%20and%20running%20a%20radiographer-led%20angiography%20service_David%20Parker.pdf | title=Intervention as an Extended Role: My Journey | publisher=UKRC & Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham | access-date=October 8, 2015 | vauthors=Parker D | archive-date=August 29, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829060102/http://www.ukrc.org.uk/assets/Speaker%20presentations%202014/Tuesday/5C%20-%20Service%20delivery%20-%20Extending%20the%20role%20of%20the%20radiographer/5C_Developing%20and%20running%20a%20radiographer-led%20angiography%20service_David%20Parker.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> diagnose and treat several disorders, including [[peripheral vascular disease]], [[renal artery stenosis]], [[inferior vena cava]] filter placement, [[gastrostomy]] tube placements, [[biliary]] [[stents]] and [[liver|hepatic]] interventions. Radiographic images, fluoroscopy, and ultrasound modalities are used for guidance, and the primary instruments used during the procedure are specialized needles and [[catheter]]s. The images provide maps that allow the clinician to guide these instruments through the body to the areas containing disease. By minimizing the physical trauma to the patient, peripheral interventions can reduce infection rates and recovery times, as well as hospital stays. To be a trained interventionalist in the United States, an individual completes a five-year residency in radiology and a one- or two-year fellowship in IR.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kaufman JA, Reekers JA, Burnes JP, Al-Kutoubi A, Lewis CA, Hardy BW, Kuribayashi S | title = Global statement defining interventional radiology | journal = Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology | volume = 21 | issue = 8 | pages = 1147–9 | date = August 2010 | pmid = 20656219 | doi = 10.1016/j.jvir.2010.05.006 }}</ref>