Interventional radiology uses imaging procedures to diagnose injury or disease, as well as performing interventional medical procedures like treating tumors, according to the University of Virginia Health.
The big picture
The original lab—which first opened in 1994—now offers 3D imaging with its CT scans, allowing for “very precise” diagnoses and treatment, Chief Operating Officer Felicia De La Garza told Community Impact.
Imaging technology upgrades also allows radiology staff to create a detailed reconstruction of blood vessels and better detailing blockages or other abnormal blood flows that could lead to disease like peripheral artery disease or renal artery disease, according to a news release.
Why it matters
The imaging renovations at the lab give doctors the ability to take on more emergency cases, which helps them reduce the number of internal bleeding in trauma patients, according to hospital communications staff.
New techniques can also be taken on by the lab, such as complex oncology procedures and targeted chemotherapy delivery. De La Garza said the lab can do any procedure from an interventional radiology standpoint at the Live Oak location, so patients will not have to travel into San Antonio.
“Radiology in general is a diagnostic function of a hospital, but with this technology it can be just as much about treatment as it is diagnosing,” Interventional Radiology Supervisor Erik Mahoney said in the news release.
Imaging technology upgrades have also reduced radiation exposure by two-thirds for patients and 50% for hospital staff, De Le Garza said.
