Interventional Radiology

By the end of the 20th century, medicine in general was heading towards minimally invasive therapies such as endoscopies and catheter treatment which started to replace some major surgical procedures like “Open-Heart” surgeries.

In the new millennium, were people live with a fast pace and every second counts, a lot of patients now prefer minimally invasive operations where they can regain back their health and normal activities in a short time enabling them to go on with their lives and work with higher standards of safety and much less complications.

One of the Goals of the Ganzouri Specialized Hospital administration is to provide the best, state of the art and advanced medical services through the most experienced and skilled university professors.

Out of that perspective, a dedicated “Interventional Radiology Clinic” with new scope of services (Laser therapies- Radiofrequency Ablation – Endovascular catheter Interventions) has started under the supervision of Dr. Samir Abd Elghaffar ,an Interventional Radiology Consultant in Ain Shams University Hospitals and Member of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE).

Ganzouri Specialized Hospital offers the latest and most advanced medical services offered by the minimally invasive Interventions for some of the very important problems such as Uterine fibroid, liver cancer, varicose veins as well as for patients with low back pain.

What Are The Advantages Of Interventional Radiology Procedures?

• Most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis or need only a short hospital stay.

• General anesthesia usually is not required.

• Risk, pain and recovery time are often significantly reduced.

What Is The Difference Between a Surgeon And an Interventional Radiologist?

A traditional surgeon makes an incision (a cut) under general anesthesia to open up an area of the body, looks inside to determine what is wrong, fixes it and then closes the incision with stitches, staples, tape or other means.

An interventional radiologist is able to see inside the body of a patient without making a surgical incision but rather by using the sophisticated, state-of-the-art X-ray and other imaging devices to guide tiny catheters and other small tools through the body to treat a disease without surgery.

These tools enter the body through a tiny nick in the skin about the size of the tip of a pencil.

After fixing the problem, the interventional radiologist then removes the catheter and the instruments.

Stitches generally are not needed, and procedures rarely require general anesthesia.

Services that We Offer

Tumor Ablation Therapies for Cancer (e.g. Radiofrequency heat ablation, Cryoablation):

Radiofrequency ablation is minimally invasive method that uses thermal energy to destroy tumor cells. Initially computed tomography or ultrasound is performed to locate the tumor.
A special needle is introduced into the tumor using direct image guidance.
This is equivalent to a standard needle biopsy.
The needle is attached to a radiofrequency generator.
The generator sends radiofrequency through the needle, which generates heat from frictional movement of ions.
The heat destroys the tumor cells.

Endo Venous Ablation of Varicose Veins:

This minimally-invasive treatment is an outpatient procedure performed using imaging guidance.
After applying local anesthetic to the vein, the interventional radiologist inserts a thin catheter into the vein and guides it up the great saphenous vein in the thigh.
Then laser or radiofrequency energy is applied to the inside of the vein.
This heats the vein and seals the vein closed.

Chemoembolization of Liver Cancer:

Delivers cancer-fighting medications directly to the site of a cancer tumor.
Primarily used to treat liver cancers but also used in malignant melanoma.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization:

UFE is a minimally invasive treatment for fibroid tumors in the uterus.
In a uterine fibroid embolization procedure, physicians use image guidance to place a synthetic material called an embolic agent inside one or more of the blood vessels that supply the fibroid tumors with blood.
As a result, these vessels become occluded, or closed off, and the fibroid tissue shrinks.
In most cases, symptoms are relieved.

Biliary Drainage and Stenting:

Uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open up blocked ducts and allow bile to drain from the liver.

Varicocele Embolization:

A treatment for "varicose veins" in the scrotum, which can cause male infertility and pain.

Vertebroplasty:

A pain treatment for fractured vertebra in which medical-grade bone cement is injected into the vertebra.
Angioplasty The use of a small balloon on the tip of a catheter inserted into a blood vessel to open up an area of blockage inside the vessel.
Embolization The insertion of a substance through a catheter into a blood vessel to stop hemorrhage, or excessive bleeding or to occlude blood supply of a tumor.
Gastrostomy tubes A gastrostomy tube (feeding tube) is inserted into the stomach if the patient is unable to take food by mouth.
Stent placement A tiny, expandable coil, called a stent, is placed inside a blood vessel at the site of a blockage.
The stent is expanded to open up the blockage.
Foreign body extraction The use of a catheter inserted into a blood vessel to retrieve a foreign body in the vessel.
Needle Biopsy A small needle is inserted into the abnormal area in almost any part of the body, guided by imaging techniques, to obtain a tissue biopsy.
This type of biopsy can provide a diagnosis without surgical intervention.
An example of this procedure is called the needle breast biopsy.
Blood Clot Filters A small filter is inserted into a blood clot to catch and break up blood clots.
Injection of clot-lysing agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), are injected into the body to dissolve blood clots, thereby increasing blood flow to the heart or brain.
Catheters insertions A catheter is inserted into large veins for giving chemotherapy drugs, nutritional support, and hemodialysis.
A catheter may also be inserted prior to bone-marrow transplantation.
Angiography An x-ray of the arteries and veins to detect blockage or narrowing of the vessels. In many cases, the interventional radiologist can treat the blockages, such as those occurring in the arteries in the legs or kidneys, by inserting a small stent which inflates and opens the vessel.
This procedure is called a balloon angioplasty.

Tumor Ablation Therapies for Cance r (e.g.Radiofrequencyheat ablation, Cryoablation):

Radiofrequency ablation is minimally invasive method that uses thermal energy to destroy tumor cells.
Initially computed tomography or ultrasound is performed to locate the tumor.
A special needle is introduced into the tumor using direct image guidance.
This is equivalent to a standard needle biopsy.
The needle is attached to a radiofrequency generator.
The generator sends radiofrequency through the needle, which generates heat from frictional movement of ions.
The heat destroys the tumor cells.

Endo venous Ablation of Varicose Veins:

This minimally-invasive treatment is an outpatient procedure performed using imaging guidance.
After applying local anesthetic to the vein, the interventional radiologist inserts a thin catheter into the vein and guides it up the great saphenous vein in the thigh.
Then laser or radiofrequency energy is applied to the inside of the vein.
This heats the vein and seals the vein closed.
Chemoembolization Delivers cancer-fighting medications directly to the site of a cancer tumor.
Primarily used to treat cancers of the endocrine system, including melanoma and liver cancers.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization.
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a minimally invasive treatment for fibroid tumors in the uterus.
In a uterine fibroid embolization procedure, physicians use image guidance to place a synthetic material called an embolic agent inside one or more of the blood vessels that supply the fibroid tumors with blood.
As a result, these vessels become occluded, or closed off, and the fibroid tissue shrinks.
In most cases, symptoms are relieved.