TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center is now providing a whole new set of vascular and imaging treatment options with the addition of a state-of-the-art interventional radiology (IR) suite.
The new IR suite allows radiologists to provide cutting-edge, minimally invasive treatments using technology that boasts one of the largest fields of view for vascular and interventional imaging. This allows physicians to clearly visualize blood vessels in boney or dense soft tissue.
“The TriStar StoneCrest radiology department has offered several interventional radiology procedures for many years, but we did not have enough radiologists to offer a full service, or the technology that allowed us to perform the leading-edge treatments,” said Colin Meyerowitz, MD, medical director of radiology for TriStar StoneCrest. “This new technology and additional medical staff means TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center can now provide a whole new set of treatment options for patients with a wide range of health conditions in Rutherford County and the surrounding area.”
Interventional radiology involves the image-guided placement of narrow tubes (catheters) and other very small instruments through the blood vessels and other pathways of the body to the site of a problem.
The list of health problems that can be addressed by interventional radiology is long and involves almost every organ in the body. It includes angioplasty and stent placement, dialysis catheterization or ports, picc lines, peripheral atrial repair, limb preservation, kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, uterine fibroids, inferior venacava filter, and many more.
“This new technology allows us to do any kind of vascular study and perform all sorts of targeted therapeutic procedures,” said Joseph Krueger, RT(R), special procedures technologist for the IR suite. “Patients also benefit from minimally invasive techniques that allow everything to be done through a small catheter that enters the body through a tiny little nick in the skin.”
“Interventional radiology is sometimes called the surgery of the 21st Century because it is as minimally invasive as it gets, there is less risk, less pain and less recovery for our patients,” said Dr. Meyerowitz. “We recognized that with the growing number of patients being seen in our hospital, we needed to establish this service to ensure that people living in this community have access to a wide range of treatment options close to home.”
TriStar StoneCrest invested $1.7 million dollars to renovate the IR suite space, purchased advanced equipment and added radiologists to the medical staff to bring these services to Smyrna.