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 Interventional radiology is a minimally invasive way to directly treat affected areas through image guidance. The doctors and staff at St. Joseph and St. Mary’s are experts in helping you achieve lower risks, less pain and shorter recovery times compared to major surgery.
Reducing Risk for Strokes
Edith Owings leads an active life, including caring for the elderly. Her family physician, Linda Smith McCormick, DO, checked her carotid arteries as part of a regular exam. These arteries, located in the neck, are crucial to the flow of blood between the heart and brain. Testing showed a buildup of plaque, increasing Edith’s risk of having a stroke.
 Edith turned to St. Joseph Medical Center, community leader in carotid artery stenting and participant in two national studies on the procedure. David J. Burkart, MD, an interventional radiologist, and Gerald M. Mancuso, MD, FACC, an interventional cardiologist at the Carondelet Heart Institute, perform a procedure called carotid stenting in which a small tube (a stent) is placed inside the narrowing artery. This opens and strengthens the artery to prevent the blockage from reoccurring. Stenting is an alternative to conventional surgery and avoids trauma to nearby nerves in the neck. The procedure is performed without general anesthesia and the patient usually goes home after just one overnight hospital stay.
Edith didn’t know she was at risk. But strokes occur suddenly, often without warning. Fortunately,
carotid stenting dramatically reduces the chance of a stroke occurring in the first place. Today, Edith stays active in her church, plays the guitar and provides care for a number of elderly acquaintances. “I live just like I did before,” she said. Thanks to preventive medical care at St. Joseph Medical Center, she’ll continue to do so for a long time to come.
A Faster Recovery for Fibroids
Leinda Haddock is a self-employed wife and mother in her late forties. Recently, she began to experience unexplained abdominal pains. Frequent and intense in nature, her symptoms were making everyday life so difficult, it left her with little energy to devote to the things that matter most.
A magnetic resonance image (MRI) revealed several uterine fibroids. One doctor recommended a hysterectomy – a common treatment for fibroids.  David J. Burkart, MD, an interventional radiologist at both St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center, recommended a uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a less invasive alternative, and one with a faster recovery period than a six week hysterectomy.
UFE is a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the fibroids but leaves the uterus and ovaries intact. A tiny catheter is inserted through a small incision and guided through the uterus. Tiny plastic particles are then injected into the artery that supplies blood to the fibroid. These particles block the fibroid’s supply of blood causing it to shrink. No general anesthesia is needed and only one overnight stay is usually required. Like most women, Leinda resumed light activities in a few days and returned to her normal activities after one week.
At her last check-up, all but one of Leinda’s fibroids had disappeared. The remaining one had shrunk to a fraction of its original size and will eventually disappear as well. Leinda now is pain-free and back to her old (young) self.
Rapid Relief from Spinal Pain
Carolyn Speasl was passing through the airport when she tripped and fell. The pain in her lower back told her this was no ordinary fall, and the x-rays confirmed it. She had suffered a compression fracture in the vertebrae of her lower back.
Carolyn already knew about the Interventional Radiology Department at St. Joseph Medical Center, so she went directly there for help. She learned about a procedure called vertebroplasty that would get her back on her feet in no time.
Vertebroplasty is used to treat spinal pain caused by collapsed vertebrae due to injury, osteoporosis or other disease. Unlike spinal fusion and other invasive treatments, vertebroplasty is performed on an outpatient basis and without general anesthesia. By inserting a small needle into the collapsed bone and injecting a special bone cement, the bone is stabilized, providing pain relief.
Thanks to the physicians at St. Joseph Medical Center, Carolyn returned home the same day as her treatment and was pain-free after two or three days. As a matter of fact, most patients report their pain is eliminated or significantly reduced within 48 hours after the procedure. Carolyn was able to return to work just one week later. After four weeks, she reports no pain and is able to resume normal activities. Now, she has fallen for St. Joseph Medical Center.
Dr. Mancuso and Dr. Burkart place a carotid artery stent. |
“At one time, radiology was only a diagnostic tool to look inside the body. But now with interventional radiology we can treat many conditions that used to require major surgery.” – David J. Burkart, MD
- Lower risks
- Less pain
- Shorter recovery
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For More Information
If you'd like to know more about our radiology services, please
call:
St. Joseph Medical Center
816-943-2270
St. Mary's Medical Center
816-655-5572
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