Says, Dr Anubhav Harish Khandelwal, Consultant, Interventional Radiology, Medanta-The Medicity in an interaction with Ekta Srivastava, Health Technology…
What does an Interventional Radiologist do?
Interventional Radiology (IR) consultant is a Radiologist who specializes in minimally invasive targeted treatments and diagnostic procedures. IR consultant runs an Out-Patient Clinic as well as In-patient services offering most comprehensive knowledge regarding the minimally invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experiences across all specialties. Many conditions that may require surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery.
What is most challenging about what you do?
Interventional Radiologists are increasingly being called upon to perform potentially life-saving procedures on extremely ill patients. Conditions like bleeding and severe hypotension, sepsis management are some of the emergency situations that are confronted regularly in the interventional suite. The most challenging part for an Interventional Radiologist is to perform minimally invasive treatments on such critically ill patients with virtually no alternative / back-up option.
What is common misconception people have about what you do?
For many years, surgery was the only available treatment option for a number of conditions. As a result, many primary care physicians still refer their patients to surgeons and rely on the surgeons to provide information on the range of possible treatment options.However, surgeons tend not to be fully informed about the different minimally invasive treatments on offer, and so can only provide limited information on these procedures. It is therefore important for patients to be aware of the treatment options provided by IR.These minimally invasive procedures carry lower risks than surgery, and have been fine-tuned to be as safe for patients as possible, with interventional radiologists maintaining high standards for safety and quality.
How technology has changed face of Interventional Radiology?
Advancements in technology has always been helping medical fraternity in improvising on patient care, providing highest levels of safety and outcomes.
Technology has recently been introduced that provides new imaging techniques and improved navigational tools, which have the potential to decrease radiation exposure and procedure time, while increasing the precision of therapy.
The advancements in the software used with these advanced machines aid both trans-catheter and ablative therapies, including image fusion software and embolization needle guidance.
Creations of 3-dimensional pictures of an area to be targeted for treatment or sampling and advances in hardware used to perform the procedures have become increasingly minimally invasive
What new technology has been recently added to make your work more standardize and satisfied?
Robotics in imaging has improved targeting in CT guided procedures. Fusion software have improved USG guided interventions and Real time 3D imaging on angiographic systems have optimized the treatment outcomes.
What advice would you offer someone considering this carrier?
With regards to invasive treatment for various illnesses, minimally invasive methods of treatment is the ultimate aim, hence it is only obvious that scope for interventional radiology is enormous. Young radiologists should be encouraged to take up this specialty which is now becoming the accepted, stand-alone clinical service in many tertiary, multispecialty medical centers.
