Children’s Minnesota now has an Interventional Radiology suite on our Minneapolis campus. We are excited to join together to continue to improve patient-care quality and provide remarkable care.
What is Interventional Radiology?
Interventional Radiology (IR) is a specialty focused on development and utilization of minimally-invasive, image-guided techniques used for diagnosis and treatment of many diseases and conditions.
Dr. Timothy Singewald, medical director of Interventional Radiology, explains, “IR procedures can be used as an alternative, or as a complement, to more invasive surgical procedures and can have less risk, less scarring, less post-procedural pain, less recovery time and shorter hospital stays. In fact, most outpatients are able to go home same-day.”
How will the IR suite benefit Children’s Minnesota?
An IR Suite is the “home” for the IR physician and where nearly all IR procedures are performed. There are multiple imaging modalities available in the IR suite, including ultrasound, X-ray, fluoroscopy (live x-rays), and cone beam computerized tomography (CT). Having the ability to use any combination of these modalities results in:
- Greater patient safety.
- Improved efficiency.
- Less radiation.
- The ability to accomplish more difficult tasks.
How will this change patient-care quality?
One of the greatest outcomes of having an IR suite according to Dr. Singewald is, “Some complex procedures that were previously unable to be performed at Children’s Minnesota are now able to be accomplished without needing to transfer to one of the nearby adult facilities.”
The IR suite, while being located in the operating room (OR), allows cases where both an IR procedure and a surgical procedure are necessary to be performed without needing to transfer the patient to a different room, thereby decreasing sedation time and improving OR efficiency.