Abdomen

 

Medical Conditions	Procedures
Bile duct obstruction	Gastrostomy
Kidney Cancer	Needle Biopsy
Portal hypertension	Biliary Drainage
Liver Cancer	Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
	Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)

Portal Hypertension

Seen most frequently in patients with liver disease such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, portal hypertension is a condition in which the normal flow of blood through the liver is slowed or blocked by scarring or other damage. Patients with the condition are at risk of internal bleeding or other life-threatening complications.

Interventional radiologists treat portal hypertension without surgery, using a procedure called TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt). The doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) through a small incision in the skin near the neck and guides it to the blocked blood vessels in the liver. Under X-ray guidance, the doctor creates a tunnel in the liver through which the blocked blood can flow. The tunnel is held open by the insertion of a small metal cylinder, called a stent. 

 

 

 

 

Bile Duct Obstruction

In some patients, such as those with liver cancer or individuals who have had an injury to the liver, the bile ducts become blocked and bile cannot drain from the liver. The interventional radiologist places a thin tube (catheter) through the skin and into the bile ducts to drain the bile. In some cases, a small metal cylinder, called a stent, is placed in the liver to hold the blocked area open. A catheter may also be placed to drain bile in patients who have a hole in the bile ducts or as preparation for surgery on the bile ducts.  

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Chemoembolisation

This is a palliative treatment for liver cancer. This can be a cancer originating in the liver or a cancer that has spread ("metastasised") to the liver from other areas in the body. During Chemoembolisation, chemotherapy is injected directly into the artery that supplies blood to the tumour in the liver, in order to reach very high intra tumoral level of drug while limiting general adverse effects. Simultaneously, the artery is blocked off ("embolised") with a radiopaque oil and tiny particles. The treatment may require multiple sessions with 1 to 6 month intervals.

 

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy, also called cryosurgery, cryoablation or targeted cryoablation therapy, refers to the application of extreme cold to destroy diseased tissue, including cancer cells. To find out more about cryotherapy, please click here.