About Interventional Radiology |
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 About Interventional Radiology |
| The Benefits of Interventional Radiology |
| Interventional Radiologist Dr. Gerald Grubbs |
| The Development of Interventional Radiology |
| Common Radiological Interventional Procedures |
| The Future of Interventional Radiology |
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About Interventional RadiologyMuch smaller incisions. Less risk. Less pain. And much quicker recoveries.
Long the goals of
surgeons, Interventional Radiologistssuch as Dr. Grubbs are now making them a reality. By specializing in minimally invasive, targeted treatments that take advantage of breakthroughs in imaging technology, Dr. Grubbs and others have advanced procedures that once required open surgery.
Using his expertise in reading X-rays, ultrasound and other imaging technology, Dr. Grubbs is able to guide small instruments such as catheters - tubes that measure just a few millimeters in diameter - through blood vessels and veins to treat disease percutaneously (through the skin) in a manner much less invasive, and much less costly, than traditional surgeries. |
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The Benefits of Interventional RadiologyIt is one thing to say a treatment will improve the quality of your life. It is another to know the stories of those who have experienced it first-hand. We invite you to read about the experiences of some of our patients.
While the
advantages of Interventional Radiologyvary from treatment to treatment, these affect everyone:
- You’re back home sooner because most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis or require only a short hospital stay.
- Because the procedure is minimally invasive there is less pain post-procedure.
- There is less risk because general anesthesia usually is not required.
- You can resume your everyday activities sooner because recovery times are often significantly reduced.
- The procedures are sometimes less expensive than surgery or other alternatives.
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Interventional Radiologist Dr. Gerald GrubbsA native of Tennessee, Dr. Gerald Grubbs attended college and medical school there before going on to complete his residency at the University of Tennessee in Diagnostic Radiology.
Excited at how the new field of interventional radiology was revolutionizing minimally invasive surgery – and by the benefits it held for patients – the doctor took a Fellowship in Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology at the Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute at the Baptist Hospital of Miami. It was there he learned the basics of many of the procedures he’s now performing. In 1993, after completing his Fellowship, Dr. Grubbs received his Board Certification in Interventional Radiology from the American Board of Radiology.
The following year, Dr, Grubbs moved to the Suncoast and joined Naples Radiologists, P.A. doing Diagnostic as well as Vascular and Interventional Radiology. In 2006 he opened his own practice, Sarasota Interventional Radiology. Here he brings his skills in imaging, his procedural expertise, his experience in research and his clinical practice to offer minimally invasive diagnostics and treatments for patients whose conditions would have once required open surgery.
The author of numerous articles and a noted lecturer, Dr. Grubbs lives with his wife and two children in Osprey.
Learn more about Dr. Grubbs background and experience |
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The Development Interventional RadiologyAccording to the Society of Interventional Radiology, today there are more than 5,000 Interventional Radiologists in the United States. The remarkable rise of this specialty in the 1970’s was due to the ever-improving ability of radiologists to perform minimally invasive, targeted treatments using new imaging technologies for guidance. Indeed, Interventional Radiologists invented angioplasty and developed the first catheter-delivered stent. Today, these are among the most common procedures performed.
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Other Common Interventional Procedures include:
- Angiography
This X-ray exam of the arteries and veins is used to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems; the IR uses a catheter to enter the blood vessel and inject a contrast agent (X-ray dye) to make the artery or vein visible on the X-ray
- Balloon Angioplasty
By inserting a very small balloon into the vessel and inflating it, blocked or narrowed blood vessels can be opened. Used by IRs to unblock clogged arteries in the legs or arms (called peripheral vascular disease or PVD), kidneys, brain or elsewhere in the body.
- Biliary Drainage and Stenting
This treatment uses a stent (small mesh tube) to open blocked ducts and that allow bile to drain from the liver.
- Central Venous Access
In this procedure the IR inserts a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so that patients can have blood drawn or have medication and/or nutrients delivered directly into the blood stream.
- Chemoembolization
This treatment delivers cancer-fighting agents directly to the site of a cancer tumor; it is currently being used to treat cancers of the endocrine system, including melanoma and liver cancer.
- Embolization
This procedure can deliver clotting agents (coils, plastic particles, gelfoam, etc.) directly to an area that is bleeding or block blood flow to a problem area, such as an aneurysm or a fibroid tumor in the uterus.
- Fallopian Tube Catheterization
A treatment for infertility, this procedure uses a catheter to open blocked fallopian tubes without surgery.
- Gastrostomy Tube
IRs are able to insert a feeding tube into the stomach of patients who are unable to take sufficient food by mouth.
- Hemodialysis Access Maintenance
This treatment uses angioplasty or thrombolysis to open blocked grafts to treat kidney failure.
- Needle Biopsy
This diagnostic test for breast, lung and other cancers is an alternative to surgical biopsy.
- Radiofrequency Ablation
This treatment uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to cook and kill cancerous tumors.
- Stent
A small flexible tube made of plastic or wire mesh, a stent is used to hold open clogged blood vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked by tumors, clots or obstructions.
- Stent-Graft
A stent-graft reinforces a ruptured or ballooning section of an artery (an aneurysm) with a small, fabric-wrapped flexible mesh tube that is used to "patch" the blood vessel. Also known as an endograft.
- Thrombolysis
This procedure dissolves blood clots by injecting clot-busting drugs at the site of the clot.
- TIPS (Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt)
This often life-saving procedure improves blood flow and prevents hemorrhaging in patients with severe liver dysfunction.
- Uterine Artery Embolization
An embolization procedure to stop life- threatening postpartum bleeding, it can potentially prevent the need for a hysterectomy. When used to treat fibroid tumors this same procedure is called UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization).
- Uterine Fibroid Embolization
This embolization procedure shrinks painful, enlarged, benign tumors in the uterus. Also called a Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE).
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The Future of RadiologyAs technology advances, and ever improving, high-quality imaging equipment becomes more widely available, Interventional Radiology will be able to offer those suffering from a wide range of ailments – from osteoporosis and infertility to cancer and heart disease – a better quality of life now, and renewed hope for the future. |
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