Updated : July 17, 2020

IVR Center

Overview

 Interventional radiology (IVR) is a new method to cure diseases by inserting thin tubes (catheters and needles) into the body while observing X-ray fluoroscopic, CT, or ultrasound images, and also called “image-guided therapy” or “endovascular therapy”. Not requiring surgery, IVR is less physically stressful for patients, and enables practitioners to accurately approach only target sites. It is currently being widely used to treat cancer, including that in the elderly and advanced cancer in an unfavorable condition. It is also useful for the management of emergency patients (such as those with major bleeding), as well as the treatment of vascular occlusion and aneurysms. IVR was initially developed in Nara Prefecture. At Nara Medical University, various IVR procedures, represented by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to treat hepatocellular carcinomas, stent therapy for the bile duct and digestive tract, in addition to arteriosclerosis obliterans, and stent grafting for the treatment of aortic aneurysms, have been initially developed and performed mainly by the Department of Radiology with understanding and cooperation from related departments. We also conduct various types of clinical trials to generalize these techniques on a nationwide basis, and excel in the number and quality of treatment in this area.
Currently, we are cooperating with the Department of Neurosurgery to perform carotid stent therapy and embolization as part of the treatment of cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformation. We have also obtained favorable outcomes from the treatment of coronary artery blockage and arrhythmia through cooperation with the Department of Cardiology actively performing catheterization. With a view to efficiently performing IVR that features Nara Medical University and is expected to further develop in the future through close communication and cooperation/collaboration with related departments, while maintaining high accuracy, the IVR Center was organized in July 2014. Consisting of IVR practitioners, radiological technologists, nurses, clinical engineers, and clerks, with 5 angiography devices, the center provides rapid and high-quality IVR services daily.

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