Vascular Procedures

Here are just a few Vascular Procedures performed at AI3.

Angioplasty and Stenting

Interventional radiologists pioneered angioplasty and stenting, which was first performed to treat peripheral arterial disease. Using imaging for guidance, the interventional radiologist threads a catheter through the femoral artery in the groin, to the blocked artery in the legs. Then the interventional radiologist inflates a balloon to open the blood vessel where it is narrowed or blocked. In some cases this is then held open with a stent, a tiny metal cylinder. This is a minimally invasive treatment that does not require surgery, just a nick in the skin the size of a pencil tip.

 

Balloon angioplasty and stenting have generally replaced invasive surgery as the first-line treatment for PAD. Early randomized trials have shown interventional therapy to be as effective as surgery for many arterial occlusions, and in the past years, a very large clinical experience in centers throughout the world has shown that stenting and angioplasty are preferred as a first-line treatment for more and more processes throughout the body.

 

Atherectomy

With this treatment, a tiny catheter is inserted into the artery at the site of blockage that is able to “shave” or “cut” the plaque from the inside of the artery and remove it from the patient.

 

Stent-grafts

A stent covered with synthetic fabric is inserted into the blood vessels to bypass diseased arteries.

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