FAQ: Common Questions

Interventional radiology and image-guided medicine is a specialized area of medical care that treats conditions and diseases in patients by threading minuscule tubes, known as catheters, through the organs and arteries of the body using x rays, ultrasound, MR and CT imaging to guide them. Interventional radiology allows healthcare specialists to better deliver treatment directly to disease sites, obtain biopsies, open blocked blood vessels, and complete a wide range of other procedures.

This completely depends on the specific procedure being performed for each patient. Dr. Ayar or other members of the Coastal Vascular staff can tell you exactly what to expect for your procedure. Preparation time can take up to one hour, and recovery times can range from 1-6 hours, again depending on the procedure. Interventional radiology procedures for the heart tend to have the longest recovery times.

In terms of pain management, patients are typically given topical medication along with intravenous sedation as required.  Procedures performed are minimally invasive and pain is typically minimal.

Interventional radiology procedures are performed using tiny catheters or wires that enter the body through small incisions in the skin. These effective treatments are minimally invasive, which means patients are often in and out of the clinic on the same day. Recovery times are also much shorter, complications much less likely, and medical bills much lower.

Generally speaking, no.  These procedures are designed to be minimally invasive and to minimize the time a patient has to spend as a patient in a clinic as opposed to a person living his or her life.