Interventional Radiology

The Interventional Radiology service is composed of a team of specialists: small animal internal medicine specialists, cardiologists, and dedicated service technicians who have received advanced training on minimally invasive per-catheter techniques. The team has a combined 30-40 years of experience in performing these procedures.

How we can help

Procedures performed by the Interventional Radiology group might be indicated for a variety of disease conditions of many organ systems, including respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, and gastrointestinal. We typically access the area we need to work on either through a natural orifice (like the mouth or urethra) or through a small incision into the skin to access a blood vessel. Some of the most common diseases that we see pets for in the Interventional Radiology service include:

• Urethral obstructions by a stone or mass
• Urinary incontinence in a young dog
• Bladder stones
• Tracheal collapse
• Nasopharyngeal (back of the nose) closure or stenosis
• Liver shunts
• Vascular obstructions
• Arteriovenous malformations
• Heart disease

This is not a complete list. In general, IR procedures can be used to bypass obstructions of tumors, blood clots, or strictures/stones anywhere (open what is inappropriately closed) or reroute fluid to the appropriate place (like in dogs with ectopic ureters or liver shunts).

Cardiovascular procedures are performed by our Interventional Radiology Specialist on the Cardiology team. Please contact the Cardiology Service regarding all vascular and heart procedures.

What to expect

Based on your pet’s clinical signs and suspected underlying disease, our team will route you to the appropriate team member for your initial appointment. During the initial consultation, we will discuss your pet’s disease as well as the diagnostic and treatment options, which could include both traditional and novel, minimally invasive treatment options. Sometimes we are able to have procedures scheduled for the next day; often, dogs and cats will need to return to have additional diagnostics or procedures performed at a later date.