State-of-the-Art Technology

Through the years, Interventional radiologists have been innovators and adapters of new technology that has tremendously changed healthcare. Angioplasty and stenting were both introduced by interventional radiologists and have continued to be developed and refined by interventional radiologists. Technology recently implemented by Interventional Radiologists includes ablation of tumors in the treatment of cancer, embolization therapy used to treat tumors, catheter-directed treatment for thrombosis, and angioplasty and stenting in the carotid artier to prevent stroke.

The Society of Interventional Radiology lists the timeline of achievement in Interventional Radiology:

1964 Angioplasty
1966 Embolization therapy to treat tumors and spinal cord vascular malformations by blocking the blood flow
1967 The Judkins technique of coronary angiography, the technique still most widely used around the world today
1967 Closure of the patent ductus arteriosis, a heart defect in newborns of a vascular opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta
1967 Selective vasoconstriction infusions for hemorrhage, now commonly used for bleeding ulcers, GI bleeding and arterial bleeding
1969 The catheter-delivered stenting technique and prototype stent
1960-74 Tools for interventions such as heparinized guidewires, contrast injector, disposable catheter needles and see-through film changer
1970’s Percutaneous removal of common bile duct stones
1970’s Occlusive coils
1972 Selective arterial embolization for GI bleeding, which was adapted to treat massive bleeding in other arteries in the body and to block blood supply to tumors
1973 Embolization for pelvic trauma
1974 Selective arterial thrombolysis for arterial occlusions, now used to treat blood clots, stroke, DVT, etc.
1974 Transhepatic embolization for variceal bleeding
1977-78 Embolization technique for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and varicoceles
1977-83 Bland- and chemo-embolization for treatment of hepatocellular cancer and disseminated liver metastases
1980 Cryoablation to freeze liver tumors
1980 Development of special tools and devices for biliary manipulation
1980’s Biliary stents to allow bile to flow from the liver saving patients from biliary bypass surgery
1981 Embolization technique for spleen trauma
1982 TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) to improve blood flow in damaged livers from conditions such as cirrhosis and hepatitis C
1982 Dilators for interventional urology, percutaneous removal of kidney stones
1983 The balloon-expandable stent (peripheral) used today
1985 Self-expandable stents
1990 Percutaneous extraction of gallbladder stones
1990 Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) technique for liver tumors
1990’s Treatment of bone and kidney tumors by embolization
1990’s RFA for soft tissue tumors, i.e., bone, breast, kidney, lung and liver cancer
1991 Abdominal aortic stent grafts
1994 The balloon-expandable coronary stent used today
1997 Intra-arterial delivery of tumor-killing viruses and gene therapy vectors to the liver
1999 Percutaneous delivery of pancreatic islet cells to the liver for transplantation to treat diabetes
1999 Developed the endovenous laser ablation procedure to treat varicose veins and venous disease