Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiology is a minimally invasive procedure that uses advanced imaging techniques to diagnose and treat many conditions without major surgery. At Cleveland Clinic London, our expert team specialises in interventional radiology procedures for the brain, blood vessels, spine, heart and other vital areas. You receive the care you need with less pain and a quicker recovery than invasive surgery.

Highlights of our inpatient and outpatient radiology services include: 

• Expert team: Our highly skilled radiology consultants have extensive training in interventional procedures. They collaborate with vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, anaesthetists and other consultants so you receive exceptional care.
• State-of-the-art facility: Cleveland Clinic London features a world-class interventional radiology suite, a specialised hybrid theatre and two cardiac catheterisation labs. These capabilities allow us to perform interventional procedures for the most complex conditions.
• Multispecialty care: Our expertise in gastroenterology, oncology and other key subspecialties means we’re prepared to handle a broad range of conditions. We treat everything from brain aneurysms and tumours to intestinal blockages using minimally invasive approaches. 

How and Why Are Interventional Radiology Procedures Performed?

Interventional radiology procedures diagnose and treat a range of conditions using needles or catheters. A catheter is a thin, flexible tube that we insert into an artery or vein through a tiny incision (cut) in your skin. 

Our interventional radiologists thread the catheter through a blood vessel to access areas like your brain or heart without open surgery. Real-time images from X-rays, CTs or MRIs show us where to guide the catheter or needle, so we perform the procedure in precisely the right location.

Most patients don’t need general anaesthesia for interventional procedures. We give you a local anaesthetic, so you are comfortable during the procedure and, if necessary, sedation, which keeps you calm but doesn’t put you completely to sleep. With this type of anaesthetic, you can go home the same day as your procedure.

We may use interventional techniques for:

• Biopsies, to examine tissue, fluid or cell samples.
• Drainage or aspiration, to reduce fluid build-up in your body.
• Embolisation, to block the blood supply to a tumour or abnormal growth.
• Pain relief, such as anaesthesia or steroid injections in your spine or joints.
• Removing blockages, such as blood clots, tumours or stones.
• Stenting, a way to open blocked blood vessels or other pathways in your body.
• Vascular access, so we can draw blood, deliver medication, do transfusions or perform dialysis.  

We offer a broad range of minimally invasive procedures and treatments to keep you feeling your best, with less downtime.

Interventional neuroradiology

Our experts excel in interventional neuroradiology for the brain, spine and nervous system. These minimally invasive techniques can help prevent life-threatening conditions such as stroke. They can also treat epilepsy, tumours, degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and much more.

We offer:

• Carotid, vertebral and intracranial angioplasty and stent placement: We inflate a tiny balloon inside a narrowed blood vessel to open it, then place an expandable tube (stent) inside the vessel to help blood flow.
• Cerebral and spinal angiography: We use X-rays and contrast dye to examine the blood vessels in your brain and spine. An angiogram helps us locate blood clots, brain bleeds and aneurysms.
• Embolisation of cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and tumours: We block blood from flowing to weakened or bulging blood vessels to prevent bleeding. Embolisation can also shrink abnormal blood vessels and cancerous growths.
• Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: We repair painful compression fractures in the bones of your spine (vertebrae). Fractures may be the result of trauma or degeneration, weakening over time.

Interventional cardiology

We perform cardiac catheterisation procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. These treatments can reduce your risk of a heart attack or other life-threatening conditions:

• Coronary angiography: We use X-rays and contrast dye to examine the blood vessels leading to your heart. An angiography helps us locate blockages or narrowed blood vessels.
• Coronary angioplasty and stenting: We open blocked blood vessels and insert a stent to keep blood flowing to the heart. Also called a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), this procedure can prevent a heart attack and relieve symptoms such as chest pain.
• Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter: We insert special devices into a large vein in your body to keep blood clots from moving to your lungs. You might need this procedure if you have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or are at risk for a pulmonary embolism.

Interventional oncology

Interventional radiologists use minimally invasive techniques to improve outcomes for people with cancer. We offer:

• Fiducial marker placement: We implant small pieces of metal (markers) around a tumour to help guide doses of radiation therapy to the right location.
• Tumour ablation: We use extreme heat (thermal ablation) or cold (cryoablation) to destroy small solid tumours that can’t be treated with surgery.

Other interventional specialties

We also offer:

• Women’s health: Uterine artery embolisation can treat uterine fibroids, benign (noncancerous) growths in your womb.
• Gastroenterology: Our experts can place feeding tubes, remove intestinal blockages and treat gallbladder issues using minimally invasive techniques. We perform percutaneous transhepatic cholangiograms (PTC) to examine your bile ducts, as well as cholecystostomy (gallbladder drainage).
• Urology: We use interventional procedures to help your kidneys and urinary tract work as they should. We also offer prostatic artery embolisation for enlarged prostates.
• Ear, nose and throat: At our specialised clinic, you meet with both a radiologist and a head and neck surgeon. You receive convenient, specialised care for lumps and tumours in the head, neck, lymph nodes and throat. We can often perform assessments and needle biopsies or aspirations in a single appointment.

Hospital Self-Pay Services

Whether you need to know the cost of a private MRI, ultrasound or ultrasound scan, or an interventional service such as a stent placement or angioplasty, we can help. Cleveland Clinic London has a broad range of diagnostic tests and interventional treatments available for self-pay, so you’re prepared for whatever turn your health takes. Find out more.

Learn More

Call +44 20 3423 7500 for more information about our hospital services.