Interventional Radiology - Milestones Pioneered By Interventional Radiologists

Milestones Pioneered By Interventional Radiologists

• 1964 Angioplasty

• 1966 Embolization therapy to treat tumors and spinal cord vascular malformations by blocking the blood flow

• 1967 The Judkins technique of coronary angiography, the technique still most widely used around the world today

• 1967 Closure of the patent ductus arteriosis, a heart defect in newborns of a vascular opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta

• 1967 Selective vasoconstriction infusions for hemorrhage, now commonly used for bleeding ulcers, GI bleeding and arterial bleeding

• 1969 The catheter-delivered stenting technique and prototype stent

• 1960-74 Tools for interventions such as heparinized guidewires, contrast injector, disposable catheter needles and see-through film changer

• 1970s Percutaneous removal of common bile duct stones

• 1970s Occlusive coils

• 1972 Selective arterial embolization for GI bleeding, which was adapted to treat massive bleeding in other arteries in the body and to block blood supply to tumors

• 1973 Embolization for pelvic trauma

• 1974 Selective arterial thrombolysis for arterial occlusions, now used to treat blood clots, stroke, DVT, etc.

• 1974 Transhepatic embolization for variceal bleeding

• 1977-78 Embolization technique for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and varicoceles

• 1977-83 Bland- and chemo-embolization for treatment of hepatocellular cancer and disseminated liver metastases

• 1980 Cryoablation to freeze liver tumors

• 1980 Development of special tools and devices for biliary manipulation

• 1980s Biliary stents to allow bile to flow from the liver saving patients from biliary bypass surgery

• 1981 Embolization technique for spleen trauma

• 1982 TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) to improve blood flow in damaged livers from conditions such as cirrhosis and hepatitis C

• 1982 Dilators for interventional urology, percutaneous removal of kidney stones

• 1983 The balloon-expandable stent (peripheral) used today

• 1985 Self-expanding stents

• 1990 Percutaneous extraction of gallbladder stones

• 1990 Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) technique for liver tumors

• 1990s Treatment of bone and kidney tumors by embolization

• 1990s RFA for soft tissue tumors, i.e., bone, breast, kidney, lung and liver cancer

• 1991 Abdominal aortic stent grafts

• 1994 The balloon-expandable coronary stent used today

• 1997 Intra-arterial delivery of tumor-killing viruses and gene therapy vectors to the liver

• 1999 Percutaneous delivery of pancreatic islet cells to the liver for transplantation to treat diabetes

• 1999 Developed the endovenous laser ablation procedure to treat varicose veins and venous disease