Minimally invasive image-guided procedures

Abstract

Minimally invasive image-guided procedures (MIIPs) are performed by specially trained physicians for a wide variety of disease processes through the body. Tiny wires, catheters, and devices are placed with the guidance of fluoroscopy, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); the majority of MIIPs are performed by interventional radiologists, whose pioneering physicians performed the first reported MIIPs in the early 1960s. Interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists have been early adopters of interventional radiology's innovations and technology, and as MIIPs have gained acceptance and with the continued proliferation and dissemination of technology, specially trained vascular surgeons are now also performing these procedures. In many instances, hospitals are creating hybrid operating room/radiology procedure suites that meet the shared needs of all practitioners performing MIIPs and those performing open surgical procedures through the incorporation of state-of-the-art angiography equipment, CT and MRI capabilities. MIIPs today are widely viewed as an alternative to surgery, as the treatment of choice when surgery is not an option, and or as adjunctive therapy prior to surgery.