Key Takeaways
- Interventional radiologists are physicians who use medical imaging to diagnose and treat certain conditions with image-guided procedures.
- Many treatments use small needles, catheters, guidewires, or other devices instead of large surgical incisions.
- IR physicians may treat conditions involving blood vessels, the uterus, prostate, joints, veins, spine, and certain cancers.
- Whether an IR procedure is appropriate depends on the diagnosis, symptoms, imaging findings, previous treatment, overall health, and individual goals.
Many people associate radiology with X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. But some radiologists do more than interpret images.
So, what do interventional radiologists do?
Interventional radiologists, often called IR doctors, are physicians trained to use medical imaging to guide minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Depending on the condition, they can navigate small instruments through blood vessels or directly into a targeted area of the body, often through a small skin puncture.
Their role can include evaluating patients, reviewing imaging, determining whether an image-guided procedure is appropriate, performing treatment, and providing follow-up care.
Patients interested in the specialty can also learn more about the interventional radiology physicians at Peak IR.
What Is Interventional Radiology?
Interventional radiology is a medical specialty within radiology that uses imaging guidance to perform procedures inside the body.
Imaging methods may include fluoroscopy, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, and, in selected settings, MRI. These technologies allow physicians to visualize anatomy while directing catheters, guidewires, needles, and other specialized devices toward a treatment area.
The Johns Hopkins overview of interventional radiology describes IR as a diagnostic and therapeutic specialty that uses minimally invasive, image-guided techniques to treat conditions affecting many different organ systems.
The goal is not simply to “avoid surgery.” Instead, IR provides another way to diagnose or treat certain medical conditions when an image-guided approach is clinically appropriate.
What Does an Interventional Radiologist Do?
An interventional radiologist’s responsibilities extend beyond performing a procedure.
Depending on the patient’s condition, an IR physician may:
- Review medical records and previous imaging
- Evaluate symptoms and prior treatments
- Order or review additional imaging when needed
- Determine whether an image-guided procedure is appropriate
- Discuss treatment alternatives, expected outcomes, and risks
- Plan and perform the procedure
- Monitor recovery and provide follow-up care
- Coordinate treatment with other physicians
Some interventional radiologists manage patients longitudinally, while others work closely with referring specialists as part of a broader care team.
For example, an IR physician treating liver cancer may coordinate with oncologists, hepatologists, surgeons, and other specialists. A patient considering prostate artery embolization may receive care involving both an interventional radiologist and a urologist.
Peak IR also works with referring healthcare professionals throughout the region. Its referring provider resources explain how consultation, procedures, and follow-up can be coordinated with a patient’s existing care team.
How Is an Interventional Radiologist Different From a Diagnostic Radiologist?
Both are physicians trained in medical imaging, but their roles differ.
A diagnostic radiologist primarily interprets studies such as CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, mammograms, and ultrasounds to help identify disease or injury.
An interventional radiologist uses imaging to help guide minimally invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
For example, an interventional radiologist may use fluoroscopy to guide a catheter through an artery or ultrasound to guide a needle to a precise location.
This requires expertise in imaging, anatomy, patient evaluation, procedural medicine, and the diseases being treated. Johns Hopkins provides additional information about what interventional radiologists do and how they fit into a patient’s treatment team.
How Do Interventional Radiology Procedures Work?
Many IR procedures begin with a small puncture in the skin.
For vascular procedures, a physician may insert a catheter into an artery or vein and use imaging to guide it through the blood vessels to the treatment area. Other procedures use ultrasound or CT to guide a needle or specialized device directly toward a specific structure.
What happens next depends on the procedure.
An interventional radiologist may:
- Block selected blood vessels through embolization
- Open narrowed or blocked vessels
- Treat abnormal veins
- Obtain a tissue biopsy
- Drain an abnormal collection of fluid
- Deliver treatment directly to certain tumors
- Stabilize selected vertebral compression fractures
The type of anesthesia, treatment setting, recovery period, risks, and expected results vary by procedure and patient.
What Conditions Do Interventional Radiologists Treat?
Interventional radiology covers many areas of medicine, but individual IR practices do not necessarily provide every type of procedure.
At Peak IR, care focuses on conditions involving women’s health, men’s health, joints and the spine, venous disease, pelvic veins, and certain cancers. You can explore Peak IR’s broader interventional radiology services in Spokane Valley for an overview of the conditions treated at the practice.
Uterine Fibroids
Interventional radiologists can treat symptomatic uterine fibroids with uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), also known as uterine artery embolization.
During UFE, a catheter is guided into the uterine arteries and small embolic particles are delivered to reduce blood flow to the fibroids. Treated fibroids generally shrink over time, which can improve symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pressure, and bulk-related discomfort.
UFE is one of several treatment options for symptomatic fibroids. The appropriate choice depends on factors including symptoms, fibroid characteristics, reproductive goals, medical history, and patient preferences.
Learn more about uterine fibroid embolization in Spokane at Peak IR.
For additional independent patient information, RadiologyInfo.org, a resource developed by the American College of Radiology and Radiological Society of North America, provides an overview of uterine fibroid embolization and other minimally invasive fibroid treatments.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive option for selected patients with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
Using image guidance, the interventional radiologist guides a catheter into arteries supplying the prostate and delivers small particles that reduce blood flow to targeted prostate tissue. The prostate can gradually decrease in volume, which may improve urinary symptoms.
PAE is not appropriate for every patient with urinary symptoms. Evaluation is needed to confirm that BPH is responsible for the symptoms and to compare PAE with medication and other procedural options.
Peak IR provides additional information about prostate artery embolization for BPH in Spokane.
Patients researching treatment options can also review RadiologyInfo.org’s independent overview of BPH diagnosis and treatment, including prostate artery embolization.
Knee Osteoarthritis
Interventional radiologists may perform genicular artery embolization (GAE) for selected patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
GAE targets abnormal increased blood flow associated with inflammation in tissues around an osteoarthritic knee. Current Society of Interventional Radiology guidance supports GAE as an option for appropriately selected patients whose symptoms persist despite conservative treatment, particularly when knee replacement is not appropriate or the patient wishes to delay it.
GAE does not reverse the structural changes of osteoarthritis or rebuild damaged cartilage. Its purpose is to address inflammatory and neurovascular processes associated with osteoarthritis-related pain.
Learn more about genicular artery embolization for knee pain at Peak IR.
For a more detailed discussion of patient selection and the current evidence, see the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 2026 position statement on GAE for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
Venous Disease
Interventional radiologists also treat certain disorders involving abnormal or poorly functioning veins.
For chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins, treatment may include endovenous ablation, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, phlebectomy, or other techniques depending on the pattern and severity of disease.
Evaluation and ultrasound imaging can help determine which veins are involved and whether treatment is appropriate.
Peak IR provides additional information about varicose vein and venous insufficiency treatment.
Interventional radiologists may also treat certain pelvic venous disorders. Selected patients with abnormal pelvic veins may be candidates for embolization after an appropriate diagnostic evaluation. Learn more about Peak IR’s approach to pelvic vein disorders and pelvic congestion syndrome.
Liver Tumors and Interventional Oncology
Interventional oncology uses image-guided procedures as part of cancer care.
At Peak IR, this includes liver-directed treatments such as Y-90 radioembolization and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for selected primary or metastatic liver tumors.
These procedures deliver treatment through arteries supplying the tumor. Their role depends on factors such as cancer type, tumor distribution, liver function, previous treatments, overall health, and the goals of the oncology team.
They may be used alongside other cancer treatments rather than as replacements for them.
Learn more about Y-90, TACE, and interventional oncology at Peak IR.
Why Would a Doctor Refer You to an Interventional Radiologist?
A referral does not necessarily mean that you need a procedure.
The first step may simply be a consultation to determine whether interventional radiology has a role in your care.
A physician may recommend an IR consultation when:
- A diagnosed condition has an established image-guided treatment option
- Symptoms persist despite appropriate conservative treatment
- A targeted vascular or embolization procedure is being considered
- A biopsy, drainage, or another image-guided procedure is needed
- Several specialists are coordinating treatment for a complex condition
- You are comparing reasonable treatment options
Patients may also seek an IR consultation themselves when researching treatment options for conditions such as fibroids, BPH, knee osteoarthritis, venous disease, pelvic venous disorders, or certain liver tumors.
What Happens During an Interventional Radiology Consultation?
An IR consultation generally includes a review of your symptoms, medical history, medications, previous treatment, and relevant imaging.
The physician may determine that additional imaging, laboratory testing, or evaluation by another specialist is needed before recommending treatment.
If an IR procedure is being considered, the discussion should cover:
- Why the procedure may or may not be appropriate.
- Reasonable alternatives.
- Potential benefits.
- Procedure-specific risks.
- Anesthesia or sedation, when applicable.
- Expected recovery.
- Follow-up care.
The goal is to determine whether the proposed treatment fits the diagnosis and the patient’s individual circumstances.
Is Interventional Radiology the Same as Surgery?
Interventional radiology procedures are generally described as minimally invasive, image-guided procedures and are different from traditional open surgery.
However, minimally invasive does not mean risk-free.
Potential complications depend on the procedure and may include bleeding, infection, injury to a blood vessel or nearby structure, reactions to contrast material or medications, and other procedure-specific complications.
Some IR procedures are performed in outpatient settings, while others may require hospital-based care or observation.
Treatment decisions should therefore be based on the specific condition and available options rather than the assumption that a less invasive procedure is automatically the better choice.
When Should You Consider Seeing an Interventional Radiologist?
An IR consultation may be worth discussing when you have a condition known to have an image-guided treatment option or when you are comparing different approaches to treatment.
Whether interventional radiology is appropriate depends on the diagnosis.
The most useful question is not simply, “Can an interventional radiologist treat this?” It is, “Is an image-guided procedure appropriate for my condition, medical history, and treatment goals?”
A consultation can help answer that question.
Interventional Radiology Care in Spokane
For patients in Spokane and the surrounding Inland Northwest, Peak IR provides outpatient image-guided care in Spokane Valley for a range of conditions involving women’s health, men’s health, joints and the spine, venous disease, and certain cancers.
Patients may be referred by another healthcare provider or seek a consultation to better understand whether an image-guided procedure is one of their reasonable treatment options.
Learn more about interventional radiology in Spokane through the Peak IR website.
Patients who want location information, directions, or the practice’s Google listing can also visit Peak IR in Spokane Valley on Google Maps.
Learn Whether Interventional Radiology Fits Your Treatment Plan
Interventional radiologists combine medical imaging with procedural treatment, allowing them to reach specific areas of the body through image-guided, minimally invasive techniques.
Their role varies widely depending on the condition. For the right patient, an IR procedure may be one treatment option among medications, conservative care, surgery, or other specialty treatments.
If you have been referred to an interventional radiologist or are researching an image-guided treatment, an individualized consultation can help determine which options are medically appropriate for you.