Arterial Diseases
Arteries are major blood vessels which carry oxygenated blood from the heart to organs and muscles. If they get injured, they can leak and cause bleeding. If they grow too large, they can form an aneurysm, which may then rupture and cause bleeding. If they get too narrow, an organ or muscle may not get enough blood flow to work well. From identifying aneurysms and narrowing to treating them with coils or balloons, we Interventional Radiologists at Houston Radiology Associated are proud to help you manage arterial diseases at every stage.
Active Bleeding Embolization
If a patient is actively bleeding from an artery, the Interventional Radiologists at HRA can use the latest CT, MR, US, and angiographic technology to identify where the bleeding is coming from and identify the best way to stop it. In select patients, we can stop the bleeding directly, by getting into the artery of the leg or wrist, directing a catheter to the artery that is bleeding, and blocking the artery off from the inside – a procedure known as angiography and embolization.
Angiography and embolization have a small risk of bleeding, infection, and damage to nearby organs. These procedures are performed on inpatients, and typically urgently/emergently. These patients need to remain in the hospital after the procedure for further monitoring.
Aneurysm/Pseudoaneurysm Embolization
An aneurysm is an abnormal enlargement of a normal artery. A pseudoaneurysm is a contained hole in an artery. Both of these can rupture and cause significant, possibly life-threatening bleeding.
Using the latest, cutting-edge imaging techniques and technology, the Interventional Radiologists at HRA are proud to help identify these arterial abnormalities with CT, MRI, US, and digital subtraction angiography. We are also privileged to be able to treat these abnormalities by blocking or diverting the blood flow to these at-risk areas, allowing the vessel and patient to heal – a process known as angiography and embolization (link to above for details).
Arteriovenous Malformation Management
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Arterial Stenosis Diagnosis and Treatment
Arteries can become narrowed for a wide variety of reasons, such as compression from other structures, atherosclerosis, vasculitis, and fibromuscular dysplasia. If an artery supplying an organ gets too narrow, the organ may dysfunction. Common places where this can happen include the gut (mesenteric ischemia), the kidney (renal artery stenosis), and the legs.
Patients with significant symptoms can be evaluated with latest imaging techniques including multiphase contrast enhanced CT or MRI, contrast enhanced ultrasound, and digital subtraction angiography. If a narrowing is identified, it can be treated with medications, balloons, and/or stent placement.
