Stroke. Compression fractures of the spine. Blocked vessels in the legs. Uterine fibroids. These diverse conditions are just some of the disorders the skilled and experienced interventional radiologists at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center are treating in the hospital's fully equipped Interventional Suite.

"Technology has advanced so dramatically over the past 20 years that interventional radiology, one of the newest subspecialties in medicine, offers many patients effective alternatives to traditional open surgery," says Rajneesh Agrawal, MD, an interventional radiologist at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. "These minimally invasive procedures generally involve smaller incisions, less pain, shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries."

At Spring Valley Hospital, interventional radiologists perform angiograms, angioplasty, uterine artery embolization, thrombolysis, TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedures and other techniques to:

• Diagnose blocked or narrowed blood vessels
• Open blocked blood vessels
• Dissolve blood clots
• Treat painful uterine fibroids
• Relieve back pain caused by compression fractures of the spine
• Stop bleeding in the liver
• Biopsy suspicious tissue
• Prevent blood clots in the legs from traveling to the lungs
• Open clogged bile ducts or kidneys
• Create a port to access a blood vessel
• Place a catheter in the neck for patients undergoing dialysis

When performing these procedures, interventional radiologists rely on X-rays and other imaging systems that allow them to ‘see' inside the body as they guide thin catheters and tiny instruments directly to the site of the disorder. Once they reach the surgical area, interventional radiologists can use innovative devices, including balloons, stents, coils, medications, gel foam, filters and needles to diagnose and/or treat a wide range of conditions.

"We can use interventional techniques to treat almost every area of the body," says Howard Tischler, MD, an interventional radiologist at Spring Valley Hospital. "Since we perform these procedures in the hospital, patients have immediate access to hospital staff and resources."

If you're facing a diagnostic procedure or surgery, talk with your doctor about whether you could benefit from the interventional procedures available at Spring Valley Hospital.

Getting Answers
Imaging technology plays an increasingly important role in medicine because these tests often give doctors the information they need to diagnose conditions and design effective treatment plans.

For example, the American Cancer Society says finding breast cancer as early as possible improves the likelihood that treatment will be successful. According to many doctors, early detection tests for breast cancer save thousands of lives each year, and many more lives could be saved if more women and their healthcare providers took advantage of these tests. Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year.

If your doctor recommends that you undergo imaging and diagnostic testing, turn to Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. Healthcare providers perform a wide range of sophisticated imaging studies, including:

• Angiographies
• Cardiac catheterizations
• CT (computed tomography) scans
• Echocardiograms
• EEGs (electroencephalograms)
• Mammography screening
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans
• Nuclear medicine (cardiac stress testing)
• Pulmonary function testing
• Radiology services, including X-ray
• Ultrasound