Interventional Imaging Services Offer Surgical Alternative

The diagnostic imaging department at Texas Children’s Hospital just became more advanced with its new interventional radiology service.

"In some cases, interventional radiology can be an alternative to surgery," said Glen Seidel, M.D., section chief of interventional radiology at Texas Children’s and an associate professor of radiology at Baylor College of Medicine. "In this type of radiology, imaging serves as a guide for needle and catheter placement."

With the new interventional suite, radiologists have access to state-of-the-art equipment and patients no longer need to visit the neighboring hospital for interventional procedures.

"The key feature of this room is the ‘C-arm’," Seidel said. "This allows the X-ray tube to be moved around the patient from all angles, greatly improving our visualization of things inside the body, without moving the patient. It also gives us much better access to our sometimes critically ill patients."

In addition, the room offers a sophisticated monitoring system for the nurse or anesthesiologist providing sedation.

For more information on this topic, visit www.texaschildrenshospital.org, click on "patient centers" and then "diagnostic imaging."

– Laura Frnka

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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