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On-site Clinic Services
Our outpatient office is for initial patient consultations and follow-up visits. Our interventional and general radiologists are specialists in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures for a wide variety of conditions. Services include evaluation and management of peripheral arterial disease, venous disease including varicose vein treatment, uterine fibroid tumors, vertebral compression fractures, epidural, lumbar facet and joint steroid injections as well as evaluating patients for minimally invasive cancer therapies.
Varicose Vein Treatment
There are several options for treating varicose veins, and the type of treatment used in a particular situation depends upon the size of the veins and their cause. The following is an overview of the options:
| • Stockings: The simplest treatment for varicose veins is to wear compression stockings -- very tight socks that compress the veins and help the valves function better. They also squeeze excess fluid out of the legs, reducing swelling. While compression stockings are rather expensive and can be quite uncomfortable, they are very effective. |
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| • Sclerotherapy: Specific veins can be eliminated by injecting them with a chemical called a sclerosant. Sclerosing agents cause a chemical injury to the vein, sealing it closed. This technique is extremely effective for small veins (often called "spider veins"), but large varicose veins treated with sclerotherapy generally come back. This treatment is not useful for treating the saphenous vein, which is the root cause of varicose veins in many cases. | |
| • Phlebectomy: This is a surgical procedure in which visible veins are removed through a series of small incisions under anesthesia. Like sclerotherapy, phlebectomy targets specific varicose veins. Unlike sclerotherapy, this procedure can be used for very large veins. Phlebectomy is similar to vein stripping (below), but treats only surface veins, not the saphenous vein that caused them in the first place. | |
| • Endovenous Laser Ablation: Endovenous laser ablation (EVLT) is an exciting new technique for treating saphenous vein reflux without a major operation. Using laser energy, EVLT heats the vein from the inside, sealing it closed. Like vein stripping, vein ablation with laser eliminates reflux through the saphenous vein and can therefore be considered a permanent fix. Unlike stripping, this new procedure does not require general anesthesia: it is done through a skin puncture so small it doesn't even require a stitch. |
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a new and non-surgical way of treating fibroids of the uterus. UFE is a specialized X-ray procedure, similar to that used for heart catheterization, in which a small tube (the size of a pencil point) is guided into the artery that supplies the fibroid and tiny beads are injected to block the flow of blood to the fibroid. When the blood supply is blocked, the fibroid loses its supply of oxygen and nutrients. This causes the fibroid to shrink, relieving the symptoms in most cases. The procedure itself is not painful and does not require general anesthesia. There is no real incision, so there is no need for stitches afterward. In fact, there is no visible scarring at all.
| UFE was originally developed as a means of decreasing blood loss during surgical treatments of fibroids. Quite unexpectedly, it was found that many patients treated with embolization, while waiting for fibroid surgery, became asymptomatic and the operation itself proved not to be necessary. Now UFE is used as a stand-alone treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids. The procedure is done by a specialist called an interventional radiologist—a physician who, after medical school, has done an additional six years of training in this type of procedure. |
Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are image-guided, non-surgical treatments used to strengthen a broken vertebra (back bone) that has been weakened by osteoporosis, cancer, or some other cause. Individual vertebra weakened by disease can collapse suddenly under the force of normal, daily activity. This can cause severe pain, limited mobility, and an inability to perform routine daily activities.
| • Vertebroplasty is done by injecting an orthopedic cement mixture through a needle into the fractured bone. |
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| • With kyphoplasty, an attempt is made to elevate the fracture by inserting a balloon into the compressed vertebral body prior to injecting the cement mixture. |
Epidural Steroid Injection
An epidural is an injection that delivers medication directly into the epidural space in your spine. The epidural space surrounds the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
| • The radiologist will clean your lower back with an antiseptic solution and numb the area where the needle will be inserted. |
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| • After the area is anesthetized, the radiologist will insert a different needle into the epidural space using the X-ray machine for guidance, and will inject contrast to check the position. | |
| • A steroid (a medication to reduce inflammation) mixed with a local anesthetic is injected through the needle into the epidural space. The needle is removed after this is done. You may feel some pressure while the steroid is being injected. | |
| • You will be observed for 30 minutes before going home. |
Facet Joint Injection Procedure
The facet joint is the space between two vertebrae (bony) parts of the spine that are separated by a thin layer of cartilage. An abnormality or inflammation of these joints may cause low back pain.
| • The radiologist will clean your lower back with an antiseptic solution and numb the area where the needle will be inserted. |
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| • After the area is anesthetized, the radiologist will insert a different needle into the area between the facets (the facet joint space) using the X-ray machine for guidance. | |
| • A combination of contrast, a numbing medication, and a steroid is injected. You may experience some pressure during the injection. The needle is then removed. | |
| • You will be observed for 30 minutes before going home. |
Off-site Services
We also provide professional services at our off-site facilities at CCHC Imaging Center, Carteret General Hospital, Craven Diagnostic Center, Craven Regional Medical Center, Imaging Center at Carteret General, Onslow Memorial Hospital and the Women’s Center at Onslow Memorial Hospital.
