Today, many conditions that once required surgery can be treated through a minimally invasive procedure. At Watertown Regional Medical Center, our specialists in interventional radiology use X-rays, MRI and other imaging technology to treat diseases and other conditions non-surgically, by moving a catheter through arteries or other blood vessels in your body.
Typically performed on an outpatient basis, interventional radiology treatments result in less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Our board-certified interventional radiologists provide a range of services including:
Abscess Drainage is performed when a catheter is inserted through a small nick in your skin and directed to the site of an abscess in your body to drain the infection.
Balloon Angioplasty is performed to unblock clogged arteries in your legs, arms, kidneys or other areas. A balloon is placed on the tip of a catheter, and inflated and deflated to break down plaque.
Biliary Drainage uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts in your liver and allow bile to drain.
Central Venous Access (Medports) involves the insertion of a tube beneath your skin and into a blood vessel so that you can receive medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream or blood can be drawn.
Fistula uses angioplasty to open blocked grafts for hemodialysis, which treats kidney failure.
Needle Biopsy is a diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers, and an alternative to surgical biopsy.
Renal Stenting uses a stent to open narrowed arteries in the kidneys, called renal hypertension.
A Stent, or small, flexible tube made of plastic or wire mesh, is used to treat a variety of medical conditions, such as opening clogged blood vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked.
Urinary Tract Obstruction/Nephrostomy removes urine from your ureter, a vessel that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, when there is a blockage.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization uses a catheter to inject small particles into the uterine arteries, to cut off blood supply to fibroid tumors, causing them to shrink and die.
Vena Cava Filter is a tiny cage-like device that is inserted in the large vein that returns blood from your lower body to your heart to break up clots and prevent them from reaching your heart and lungs.
The Interventional Radiology physicians at UW Health Watertown Regional Medical Center offer advanced, non-invasive alternatives to surgery. To learn more, call 920-262-4244.