Sometimes, a physician will recommend something called “interventional radiology,” which is a minimally invasive procedure used as an alternative to surgery. First, the patient’s medical information will be examined at a consultation, the risks and benefits will be discussed and if acceptable, the patient may undergo the radiological procedure that very day. Patients are conscious, receiving an intravenous catheter in their arm or leg, which delivers medication to aid relaxation. Next, the radiologist applies an antibacterial solution around the catheter to decrease the risk of infection and a local anesthesia like lidocaine is applied. Once the patient is numbed, a hollow needle is placed into a large blood vessel and a small camera shows the surgeon what’s going on inside of the patient.

Radiological methods can be used within three hours of a person’s stroke symptoms. Strokes are typically caused by blood clots to the brain, so the standard procedure dissolves blood clots through an intravenously injected tissue plasminogen activator. If it has been more than three hours, but less than six, then an intra-arterial thrombolysis treatment may be performed, which places the clot-busting drug right at the site and will mechanically break up the clot. With this amazing minimally invasive procedure, most stroke patients can regain full functionality and return to every day life. Health experts say the main challenge with stroke radiology is having enough stroke teams ready to handle patients within the three-hour timeframe.

Another radiological procedure, called vertebralplasty, helps to relieve the pain of osteoporosis. Often, elderly patients suffer collapsed vertebrae in the spine, causing immobility and excruciating pain. During the procedure, a needle containing methyl methacrylate is placed directly into the spine to increase bone strength and prevent fractures. If treated within the first few weeks of severe symptoms, the pain of osteoporosis is greatly decreased in over 80% of patients, according to Dr. Michele Johnson, associate professor of radiology at Yale University School of Medicine. Improved mobility is noticeable within just 24 hours, according to current medical information.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Health & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.