Angiography staff for Observation
Tutorial: Dmitry Rabkin, MD
617-732-7245
In interventional radiology, a wide variety of procedures are performed involving a number of different organ systems. The common principle shared among these procedures is that they are minimally invasive alternatives to their open surgical counterparts and that they are performed with image guidance (most often fluoroscopy, but other modalities can be used). Important concepts within interventional radiology worth familiarizing yourself with if interested include the Seldinger technique and digital subtraction angiography. Broad procedural categories include vascular access (PICC lines, dialysis catheters, chemotherapy ports), bypass or relief of obstructions (percutaneous nephrostomy, percutanous biliary drainage, transjugular intrehaptic portosystemic shunt), arterial and venous interventions (endovascular aneurysm repair, balloon angioplasty and/or stenting of stenoses, thrombolysis of deep venous thromboses), and destruction of abnormal tissue (radiofrequency or cryoablation of solid organ tumors, chemo or radioembolization of hepatic tumors, and particle embolization of uterine fibroids and arteriovenous malformations). A subset of interventional radiologists performs neurointerventional procedures, such as carotid stenting and cerebral aneurysm coiling. The list of procedures given here is by no means exhaustive, and if interested, the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) website is a good resource (https://www.sirweb.org), and there are also a number of books within the Countway library that cover these topics, including Handbook of Interventional Radiologic Procedures (Kandarpa), The Teaching Files: Interventional (Burke), and Image-Guided Interventions (Mauro).
The interventional radiology work area is located off the M elevators to the right on L2 (see BWH Pike map). Rounds begin at 730am in the L2 conference room and cases follow. In order to enter the procedure rooms you will need to wear scrubs. These may be obtained from the contact person or the OR.