Breast cancer is the most common non–skin cancer in women in the developed world, with one in eight women expected to develop breast cancer in their lifetime. However, the vast majority of women presenting to breast clinics have benign disease.…
Although the first percutaneous genitourinary procedure was a renal cyst puncture reported in 1867, it wasn’t until approximately 100 years later that the first percutaneous nephrostomy using the Seldinger technique was described. Since then, percutaneous access to the kidney has…
Gallbladder intervention in the form of gallbladder decompression was first proposed as a definite technique in the second half of the last century. However, percutaneous gallbladder intervention did not gain widespread acceptance because of the fear of bile leakage and…
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and percutaneous biliary drainage (PBD) techniques gained widespread popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s after they were first described. However, the use of both PTC and PBD has declined with the development of diagnostic…
The role of the radiologist in gastrointestinal tract intervention has mushroomed with the advent of percutaneous gastrostomy and more recently esophageal and colorectal stenting. These new procedures, coupled with the older procedures of gastrointestinal stricture dilatation, have made gastrointestinal tract…
Percutaneous drainage is now the accepted technique for draining abscesses in most body locations, especially since the evolution over the past 10-15 years of precise imaging localization of fluid collections, improved methods of percutaneous drainage, and improved antibiotic regimens. Initially,…
Percutaneous image-guided biopsy has gained wide popularity. It can be used to establish the identity of superficial or deep masses in many parts of the body. Advances in cytopathologic techniques, the ability to precisely guide needles to various locations in…
Venous pathology is eight times more common in the lower extremities than arterial disease. However, the range of clinically important venous pathology in the lower extremities is relatively narrow, with thrombotic disorders, chronic occlusion, and valvular insufficiency comprising more than…
The lower-extremity arteries are a common site for vascular diseases. The legs have a relatively large muscle mass and a prominent role in basic daily activities. Lesions in this vascular bed produce troublesome symptoms at an early stage. Advanced disease…
Portal and hepatic venous interventions are increasing due to the growing population of patients with chronic liver disease and the application of more aggressive surgical approaches to hepatic malignancy. Catheter-based techniques are important for the diagnosis and management of these…