INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

A Focus On Patient Care

Symptoms of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Intermittent pain or cramping in the legs that is worse with walking or exercising and relieved with rest (called intermittent claudication) Numbness or tingling of the lower legs and feet, or burning in the feet and toes at rest
The weakness of the lower extremities Cold lower legs and feet
Change in color of the lower legs and feet Hair loss of the lower legs
A sore on the lower extremity that does not heal If PAD affects the carotid artery, it can cause a stroke
If PAD affects the coronary arteries, it can cause a heart attack

Interventional radiology

Interventional radiology is an independent medical specialty which improves patient outcomes by using minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat diseases. Unlike conventional surgeons, medical doctors specializing in interventional radiology perform many procedures without making large incisions.

The physicians at Sound Vascular & Vein offer a range of interventional radiology services for patients right here in Federal Way, in a clinic setting focused on patient comfort and convenience. 

Interventional Radiology Services with a positive patient experience

Central Venous Access

Interventional radiology offers patients a safe and effective way to diagnose and treat common medial conditions, using minimally invasive techniques.  

Our experienced, board-certified physicians use imaging such as x-rays and ultrasounds, to target their treatment.  A small incision is made in the skin to allow an instrument, or narrow tube called a catheter, to pass through an artery.  Then, imaging allows the physician to guide the catheter to the source of the disease whereby he or she can treat the condition. 

Interventional radiology has revolutionized medicine and how we care for patients.  Diseases that once required major surgery and a hospital stay, now, using interventional radiology, can be done on an outpatient basis.  Interventional radiology also has less risk and less discomfort than general surgery, and patient recovery is quicker.

Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a narrowing or blockage of the peripheral arteries caused by atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in the wall of an artery.  Plaque, deposits of cholesterol and fibrous tissue within an artery, can grow large enough to reduce the blood flow.  Plaques can also rupture, which can lead to the formation of blood clots.  Blood clots can further reduce blood flow through an artery, or completely block blood flow.  PAD occurs most commonly in the legs, but can occur in the stomach, arms and head.  People with PAD are at increased risk for heart disease, aortic aneurysms and stroke.

LEG PAIN IN A WOMAN

Diagnosis:
PAD is diagnosed using the ankle-brachial index, a simple, painless ultrasound that measures the blood flow in the ankles and arms.

Pelvic Pain / Pelvic Congestion

What it is:
Many women experience chronic pelvic pain.  Often, this pain is caused by difficult to detect varicose veins in the pelvis, otherwise known as pelvic congestion syndrome.  Like varicose veins in the legs, pelvic congestion syndrome is caused by weakened valves in the ovarian and pelvic veins, causing blood to pool or flow backwards which then causes pressure and bulging veins.  The diagnosis can be missed if the woman is lying down for her exam as this relieves the pressure from the ovarian veins.  

Symptoms:
Dull, aching or painful lower abdomen or lower back

Pelvic pain that increases during menses, after intercourse, after prolonged standing or during pregnancy 

Diagnosis:
Once other causes of pelvic pain are ruled out, a specially trained physician can diagnose pelvic congestion with an MRI to look at the pelvic blood vessels, or with a pelvic venography, the more accurate test for this condition.  Pelvic venography is performed by injecting dye into the veins of the pelvis to make them visible on xray.  

Interventional Radiology Treatment:
Gonadal Vein Embolization – Embolization is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure.  A physician, using imaging for guidance, inserts a catheter into the femoral vein in the groin and guides it to the affected vein.  The physician then inserts a sclerosing agent, similar to what is used in the treatment of varicose veins, to close the vein and relieve the pressure. 

Interventional Radiology Treatment:
Angioplasty & Stenting – This is a minimally invasive procedure and is the preferred, first-line treatment for PAD.  Using imaging for guidance, the doctor makes a small incision in the skin and threads a catheter through the femoral artery in the groin, to the blocked artery in the legs. Then the doctor inflates a balloon to open the blood vessel where it is narrowed or blocked. A stent, a small metal mesh tube, can then be inserted to hold open the blood vessel.  

Atheroectomy – A minimally invasive treatment where a very small catheter is inserted into the artery, at the location of the blockage.  From there, the physician is able to cut out the plaque inside the artery, and remove it. 

Additional Interventional Radiology Services

The experienced physicians at Sound Vascular & Vein offer many additional IR services including:

  • Kidney biopsy
  • Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty
  • Drainage catheters
  • Peritoneal drainage catheters
  • IVC filters
  • Nephrostomy tubes and exchanges

If you’ve been referred to an interventional radiologist and don’t see the service you need listed here, click to contact us. We’d be happy to speak with you about your needs.

Meet the Doctors

Laura

Laura L. Slee,
DNP

Ellen Derrick, MD

Dr. Derrick,
MD

gregory_sidebar

Peter Gregory,
MD, RPVI

intersocietal_teaser

IAC

abvlm_teaser

ABVLM Certified

First Class Care

Foremost Comprehensive Endovascular Treatment Center In Puget Sound  

Request a Vascular Consult

Or Schedule Online…