title: Introduction to interventional radiology for the criticalist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To introduce the basic equipment necessary to perform interventional radiology (IR) techniques in the veterinary setting, particularly those procedures of interest to the criticalist.
  
  
  METHODS
  Veterinary and human literature as well as author's experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Since the 1950s, diagnostic angiography has played an important role in human medicine. However, over the last 2-3 decades, this once purely diagnostic modality has become a subspecialty in human medicine with vast applications throughout the body. These techniques have replaced more invasive surgeries as the standard-of-care in many circumstances.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although comparable data are not available in the veterinary literature, many IR and interventional endoscopy techniques are poised to replace more invasive procedures in veterinary medicine. In addition, these techniques have already been shown to offer treatment options for patients in whom more traditional therapies have failed, have been declined, or are not indicated due to comorbidities or substantial risk to patient health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Like our human medical counterparts, the use of IR techniques will likely play and increasingly important role in the care of veterinary patients. With this in mind, it is important to become familiar with both the equipment used in these techniques as well as their applications both currently in clinical cases and in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Animal Medical Center, New York, NY 10065, USA. chick.weisse@amcny.org
authors.forename: Chick
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weisse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*