IR JUNIORS | The Future of Interventional Radiology
Interventional Radiology Dictionary
Interventional Radiology uses a lot of complex and technical terms. Medical students or junior trainees can often find it difficult to understand a lot of the common terminology used in the day-to-day practice of IR. Here, we have listed some common terms that are used, with easy to read explanations of what they are.
Written by Dr Nick Lorch, Radiology Trainee in Leeds.
Stentreiver
A stent which can unfold and then be refolded into a catheter. These are used to grab blood clots and pull them back into a tube.
Stricture
A narrowing in a duct.
Thoracocentesis
Literally means “to pierce the thorax”. Or you can simply say a chest drain. Large drains are needed for blood or pus, but smaller drains are placed with the Seldinger IR technique.
Thrombolysis
Drugs which dissolve a blood clot, such as alteplase. These can be given as an intravenous injection, or delivered to a target through a catheter
Thrombus
A blood clot.
Transluminal
Through the lumen (hollow part). The majority of IR endovascular techniques which use a wire and catheter inside a blood vessel or duct.
WEB
WEB – Woven Endo-Bridge – a self-expanding metal device deployed within intracerebral aneurysms, causing blood clot formation.
Wire
The second main tool of the interventional radiologist. These have different shapes, stiffnesses, diameters, and chemical coatings depending on their use.