Interventional therapies, including nerve blocks, drug infusions, and implantable pain treatment devices have all been advocated for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). This section will present information about the role of each block or technique individually and present an algorithm for a “best practices” utilization of these procedures to treat CRPS, citing the best avai...

For over 20 years, interventional methods have improved the outcomes of patients with cardiovascular disease. However, these procedures require an intricate combination of visual and tactile feedback and extensive training periods. In this paper, we describe a series of novel approaches that have lead to the development of a high-fidelity simulation system for interventional neuroradiology. In ...

Diagnostic and interventional radiology play major roles in the evaluation and management of liver transplant patients. This article begins with a discussion of imaging techniques used in the preoperative evaluation of transplant candidates. Surgical approaches and normal posttransplant anatomy are presented. An in-depth discussion of the radiologic evaluation of posttransplantation complicatio...

OBJECTIVE This paper describes a text processing system designed to automate the manual data abstraction process in a quality improvement (QI) program. The Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP) is a clinician-led, statewide performance benchmarking QI platform for surgical and interventional procedures. The data elements abstracted as part of this program cover a wide range of c...

CONTEXT The Joint Commission’s Universal Protocol has been widely implemented in surgical settings since publication in 2003. The elements improved patient safety in operating rooms, and the same rigor is being applied to procedures occurring in other health care arenas, in particular, diagnostic imaging. OBJECTIVE In 2011, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles’s Diagnostic Imaging Department de...

Ultrasonography (US) has proved to be a useful tool for the clinical evaluation of patients with rheumatic diseases. It is also recognised as a useful imaging technique in interventional radiology. In the last few years, a number of rheumatologists have also described and advocated the use of US guidance in joint and soft tissue aspiration and injection technique in clinical practice. Moreover,...