Interventional radiologists in Denver

In HealthONE's family of hospitals, our specialists use interventional radiology to diagnose and treat a number of conditions and diseases. This provides a less invasive option for many conditions that once required surgery. Additionally, because most of these procedures do not require hospitalization, we are able to reduce the time and cost of treatment for our patients.

To learn more about HealthONE's interventional radiology services, call us at (303) 575-0055.

About interventional radiology

Interventional radiology is a highly specialized field of medicine that uses medical imaging, such as X-rays, to provide targeted therapy.

Often referred to as “pinhole surgery,” interventional radiology procedures are the most minimally invasive procedures. Each procedure is performed through a tiny nick in the skin, as opposed to large, open incisions. This makes the procedure safer and significantly decreases pain and recovery times.

Conditions we treat with interventional radiology

Our interventional radiologists are able to treat many conditions, including:

Types of interventional radiology procedures we offer

Using their expertise and specialized imaging equipment, some of our interventional services include:

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) to treat uterine fibroids

Interventional radiology now offers uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). This is an alternative to a hysterectomy or other surgery for women dealing with uterine fibroids (growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus).

UFE blocks the blood flow to the tumor, which causes the fibroids to shrink and die but leaves the rest of the uterus healthy.

This is one interventional radiology procedure that requires patients to be kept overnight in the hospital for monitoring. However, UFE generally involves less hormone therapy—compared to what is needed after a hysterectomy—following treatment.

Spine interventions for patients with weak or brittle bones

Our teams specialize in vertebral augmentation, including kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty and sacroplasty. These neuroradiology procedures help patients recover from injured or collapsed vertebrae. Using fluoroscopy, a cement-like mixture is inserted into the affected portion of the spine to keep it from compressing again. These techniques are particularly useful for patients with weak or brittle bones.

Post-surgery, patients experience rapid pain relief and improved quality of life, needing little to no physical therapy or rehabilitation.

Pulmonary artery thrombolysis/thrombectomy for blood clots

A pulmonary artery thrombolysis/thrombectomy is a minimally invasive technique in which a catheter is inserted into the artery with the assistance of an ultrasound. Once in place, the interventional radiology team either dissolves the blood clot using medication or removes the blood clot, restoring blood flow.

Thrombolysis for the management of DVT

Catheter-directed thrombolysis is a state-of-the-art procedure for treatment and prevention of thrombosis—the formation of blood clots inside a blood vessel. This is an image-guided procedure in which a clot-busting drug is injected directly into the blood clot. The procedure prevents damage to tissues and organs and improves blood flow.

Endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVAR) for aneurysms

EVAR is an alternative to open surgery that treats aortic disease with fewer risks and complications. The procedure is most commonly used to treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Interventional oncology

Interventional oncology involves minimally invasive cancer treatments. It is typically used to help patients whose cancer cannot be surgically removed or effectively treated with systematic chemotherapy. Treatment options include radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (killing the tumor with heat) and cryoablation (destroying cancer cells with cold).

Some of our interventional oncology procedures include:

  • Chemoembolization
  • Complex biopsies
  • Drug eluting bead embolization
  • Intra-arterial yttrium-90 radioembolization
  • Tumor ablation
  • Tumor embolization

Y-90 radioembolization with chemotherapy

Y-90 delivers one dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional external beam therapy while simultaneously sparing healthy tissue. It delivers radiation directly into liver tumors by using the tumor’s own blood supply. This maximizes the treatment’s effectiveness and reduces the risk of injury to healthy tissue.