Radiology

The rapid development of techniques and devices available to radiologists has greatly enhanced the services that can be offered in interventional radiology. Very often, these procedures can be done in place of traditional surgery and are, therefore, considered to be minimally invasive. Consequently, the risks to patients are decreased, as is the recovery time, length of stay and cost.

The Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology offers advanced options in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases using minimally invasive techniques. We have a team of five interventional radiologists, all of whom have achieved subspecialty certification by the American Board of Radiology in vascular and interventional radiology and practice exclusively in this field. Paul Kiproff, MD, and Gordon McLean, MD, were the only interventional radiologists in Pittsburgh recently ranked as "Top Docs" in the nation as chosen by their peers. In addition, our technologists and nursing staff are specially trained for interventional radiology.

Some examples of conditions that can be treated by interventional radiologists are abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral vascular disease, minimally invasive treatment of tumors and uterine fibroids.

The members of our division perform over 27,000 procedures each year. Some of the procedures and treatments we offer are:

• Angioplasty and stenting for peripheral vascular disease
• Uterine artery embolization for uterine fibroids
• Arterial chemoembolization and radioembolization for the treatment of liver cancer
• Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) for ascites and variceal bleeding in end-stage liver disease
• Biliary interventions
• Feeding tube placement
• Percutaneous introduction of central venous catheters and ports for the infusion of chemotherapeutic agents and dialysis
• Dialysis graft maintenance and thrombectomy
• Thrombolysis of arterial occlusions and deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Management of endoleaks following aortic endograft placement
• Pulmonary artery embolization for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVM)
• Gonadal vein embolization for varicocele and pelvic congestion

These services are conveniently available at Allegheny General, Forbes Regional and West Penn hospitals. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 412.578.7412.

Learn more about Interventional Radiology in our Health Library.