Читать книгу Veterinary Surgical Oncology - Группа авторов - Страница 58

William T.N. Culp

Interventional radiology (IR) is a specialty that uses different imaging modalities to direct minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. IR has become a well‐established and integral specialty in human medicine and is rapidly growing in veterinary medicine. The influx of IR techniques in veterinary medicine allows veterinary clinicians the ability to offer patients advanced treatment options that were previously unavailable. Interventional oncology (IO) is a subspecialty of IR that is focused on the treatment of oncologic diseases.

When performing IO procedures, it is essential for the veterinary clinician to have a firm grasp of different imaging modalities and basic surgical procedures, as surgically approaching blood vessels is often necessary. IO procedures such as vascular stenting, intraarterial chemotherapy, and transarterial embolization/chemoembolization are performed intravascularly, and specialized sheaths, guidewires, and catheters are needed for these interventions. Nonvascular diseases such as malignant obstructions and effusions can also be treated with IO techniques and involve the placement of stents and long‐term catheters.

Many of the current applications of IO in veterinary patients are palliative; in these cases, the primary goal is to improve the quality of life while causing minimal morbidity. IO can also provide treatment options in cases that were previously considered untreatable. Reports on the use of IO in veterinary patients are limited, but investigation of IO applications in human medicine offers insight into the vast benefits that this expanding specialty can offer for our veterinary patients. A systematic discussion of the imaging, instrumentation, and techniques involved in IO will be discussed below.