Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiology is a subspecialty of medical imaging in which minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment procedures are performed using image guidance at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Tiny catheters and miniature instruments, which are inserted into the body through a small opening in the skin, are guided through a patient’s network of arteries to internally treat conditions.

From cardiology to fetal surgery, interventional radiology is a state-of-the-art alternative to open surgery with such advantages as:

• Shorter recovery times
• Less severe side effects
• Less scarring
• Usually does not require general anesthesia
• May provide treatment options for people diagnosed with inoperable conditions, or who otherwise are not candidates for open surgery

Interventional radiologists at Banner Good Samaritan perform a number of diagnostic and treatment procedures including:

• Uterine Fibroid Embolization
• Treatment of Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty
• Radiofrequency for varicose veins
• Stroke intervention
• DVT Thrombosis
• Pelvic Congestion Syndrome
• Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)
• Interventional Oncology treatments including:
  • Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) of tumors
  • Cryoablation of tumors
  • Y-90 Radioembolization
  • Microsphere Chemoembolization

A leader in advanced medical care, Banner Good Samaritan’s team of interventional radiologists pioneered the use of SIR-Sphere® and TheraSphere® radiation treatments for inoperable liver cancers.

Banner Good Samaritan’s commitment to excellent patient care helped bring new interventional radiology techniques to Arizona and the Southwest, including these famous firsts:

• 2001 – Conducted the first TheraSphere® procedure in the West. This specialized procedure delivers millions of microscopic radioactive glass beads to an inoperable liver tumor through a catheter. The spheres are trapped in the tumor’s capillary bed where they burn away the tumor from the inside.
• 2001 – Became the site of the first TheraSphere®/liver transplant "bridge" in the U.S. when a TheraSphere® treatment enabled a local man with liver cancer to regain enough liver function to receive a liver transplant.
• 2002 – Conducted the first SIR-Sphere® procedure in the U.S. to treat metastatic cancers that form in the liver.
• 2009 – Conducted the first Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) procedure on patient with liver tumor in U.S. outside of clinical trials.

Recent advances in the overall field of interventional radiology include:

• Non-surgical ablation of tumors to kill cancer without harming surrounding tissue
• Embolization therapy to stop hemorrhaging or to block blood supply to a tumor
• Catheter-directed thrombolysis to clear blood clots and prevent disability from deep vein thrombosis and stroke
• Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting to prevent stroke

Interventional radiology procedures at Banner Good Samaritan are performed by physicians affiliated with the Banner Imaging Associates.

For more information on interventional radiology, please e-mail Banner Good Samaritan Interventional Radiology.

To schedule a medical imaging procedure at Banner Good Samaritan, please call (602) 640-3131, option 2.