Inspiring Care
Interventional radiology (IR) is an exciting subspecialty which utilizes image-guidance to perform a variety of minimally invasive, vascular and non-vascular procedures to treat a wide range of diseases. Procedures are performed in the IR suites using ultrasound, fluoroscopy or x-ray, and CT scanning for guidance. Instead of large incisions required for some open surgeries, these procedures are performed through small incisions, allowing catheters, needles and other devices to be guided to the treatment site. Examples of such interventions include image-guided biopsies, insertion of venous ports and catheters, thermal ablation of tumors through heating (microwave ablation) or freezing (cryoablation), treatment of liver tumors using catheters to inject chemotherapeutic agents (chemoembolization) or radioactive particles (radioembolization) directly into the tumors, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for spine fractures, uterine artery embolization (UAE) to treat fibroids, prostatic artery embolization (PAE) to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlarged prostate) and endovenous laser ablation to treat varicose veins. Integrated IR and Independent IR residents, as well as Diagnostic Radiology residents, are comprehensively trained our division’s large case volume across this range of procedural patient care.
Our division treats patients in 9 state of the art procedure room with a 16 bed holding area to care for patients before and after the procedures at UNC Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. Additionally we treat patients in 2 state of the art procedure rooms with an associated 9 bed holding area in Hillsborough hospital. We also perform outpatient procedures at our office based laboratory in Chapel Hill.
Research
The UNC Interventional Radiology team is at the forefront of pioneering research on a variety of topics that they hope will lead to improved outcomes for patients who undergo interventional radiology procedures. Our experts continue to design novel approaches to minimally invasive procedures that have life-saving and life-changing capabilities.