Common procedures:
Angiography: imaging the blood vessels to look for abnormalities with the use of various contrast media, including iodinated contrast, gadolinium based agents, and CO2 gas.
Balloon angioplasty/stent: opening of narrow or blocked blood vessels using a balloon; may include placement of metallic stents as well (both self-expanding and balloon expandable).
Chemoembolization: delivering cancer treatment directly to a tumour through its blood supply, then using clot-inducing substances to block the artery, ensuring that the delivered chemotherapy is not "washed out" by continued blood flow.
Drain insertions: placement of tubes into different parts of the body to drain fluids (e.g., abscess drains to remove pus, pleural drains).
Embolization: blocking abnormal blood (artery) vessels (e.g., for the purpose of stopping bleeding) or organs (to stop the extra fuction e.g. embolization of the spleen for hypersplenism) including uterine artery embolization for percutaneous treatment of uterine fibroids. Various embolic agents are used, including alcohol, glue, metallic coils, poly-viny alcohol particles, embospheres, encapsulated chemo-microsphere, and gelfoam.
Thrombolysis: treatment aimed at dissolving blood clots (e.g., pulmonary emboli, leg vein thrombi, thrombosed hemodialysis accesses) with both pharmaceutical (TPA) and mechanical means.
Biopsy: taking of a tissue sample from the area of interest for pathological examination from a percutaneous or transjugular approach.
Radiofrequency ablation (RF/RFA): localized destruction of tissue (e.g., tumours) by heating
Cryoablation: localized destruction of tissue by freezing
Venous access: insertion and management of specialized kinds of intravenous devices (IVs) (e.g. PICC lines, Hickman lines, subcutaneous ports including translumbar and transhepatic venous lines)
IVC filters: metallic filters placed in the inferior vena cavae to prevent propagation of deep venous thrombus, both temporary and permanent.
Vertebroplasty: percutaneous injection of biocompatible bone cement inside fractured vertebrae.
Nephrostomy/NUS placement: Placing a catheter directly into the kidney to drain urine in situations where normal flow of urine is obstructed. NUS catheters are nephroureteral stents which are placed through the ureter and into the bladder.
Gastrostomy/gastrojejunostomy tube placement: placement of a feeding tube percutaneously into the stomach and/or jejunum.
Dialysis access/intervention: Placement of tunneled hemodialysis catheters, peritoneal dialysis catheters, and revision/thrombolysis of poorly functioning surgically placed AV fistulas and grafts.
TIPS: Placement of a Transjugular Intrahepatic Porto-systemic Shunt (TIPS) for management of select patients with critical end-stage liver disease and portal hypertension.
Biliary interventions: Placement of catheters in the biliary system to bypass biliary obstructions and decompress the biliary system. Also placement of permanent in dwelling biliary stents.
Angiography: imaging the blood vessels to look for abnormalities with the use of various contrast media, including iodinated contrast, gadolinium based agents, and CO2 gas.
Balloon angioplasty/stent: opening of narrow or blocked blood vessels using a balloon; may include placement of metallic stents as well (both self-expanding and balloon expandable).
Chemoembolization: delivering cancer treatment directly to a tumour through its blood supply, then using clot-inducing substances to block the artery, ensuring that the delivered chemotherapy is not "washed out" by continued blood flow.
Drain insertions: placement of tubes into different parts of the body to drain fluids (e.g., abscess drains to remove pus, pleural drains).
Embolization: blocking abnormal blood (artery) vessels (e.g., for the purpose of stopping bleeding) or organs (to stop the extra fuction e.g. embolization of the spleen for hypersplenism) including uterine artery embolization for percutaneous treatment of uterine fibroids. Various embolic agents are used, including alcohol, glue, metallic coils, poly-viny alcohol particles, embospheres, encapsulated chemo-microsphere, and gelfoam.
Thrombolysis: treatment aimed at dissolving blood clots (e.g., pulmonary emboli, leg vein thrombi, thrombosed hemodialysis accesses) with both pharmaceutical (TPA) and mechanical means.
Biopsy: taking of a tissue sample from the area of interest for pathological examination from a percutaneous or transjugular approach.
Radiofrequency ablation (RF/RFA): localized destruction of tissue (e.g., tumours) by heating
Cryoablation: localized destruction of tissue by freezing
Venous access: insertion and management of specialized kinds of intravenous devices (IVs) (e.g. PICC lines, Hickman lines, subcutaneous ports including translumbar and transhepatic venous lines)
IVC filters: metallic filters placed in the inferior vena cavae to prevent propagation of deep venous thrombus, both temporary and permanent.
Vertebroplasty: percutaneous injection of biocompatible bone cement inside fractured vertebrae.
Nephrostomy/NUS placement: Placing a catheter directly into the kidney to drain urine in situations where normal flow of urine is obstructed. NUS catheters are nephroureteral stents which are placed through the ureter and into the bladder.
Gastrostomy/gastrojejunostomy tube placement: placement of a feeding tube percutaneously into the stomach and/or jejunum.
Dialysis access/intervention: Placement of tunneled hemodialysis catheters, peritoneal dialysis catheters, and revision/thrombolysis of poorly functioning surgically placed AV fistulas and grafts.
TIPS: Placement of a Transjugular Intrahepatic Porto-systemic Shunt (TIPS) for management of select patients with critical end-stage liver disease and portal hypertension.
Biliary interventions: Placement of catheters in the biliary system to bypass biliary obstructions and decompress the biliary system. Also placement of permanent in dwelling biliary stents.