Palliative Medicine And Pain Management

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are image-guided procedures where a cement mixture is injected into a fractured vertebral body. They are used for relieving spinal pain caused by fractures, especially osteoporosis, and helps increase mobility. Kyphoplasty uses a balloon in order to make extra space in the fractured bone, while vertebroplasty does not use this extra step.

Nerve blocks are an excellent palliative medicine and pain management option. Several nerve roots, including celiac plexus, hypogastric, intercostal and transverse abdominal plane, can be ablated or blocked. This helps reduce a patient’s pain and even reduces the need for narcotics.

Thoracentesis is the removal of fluid that has accumulated in the chest around the lung. Our Interventional Radiologists drain fluid during this procedure through a small, hollow needle that our team inserts into the chest by guidance with an ultrasound.

Paracentesis is the removal of fluid that has accumulated in the abdomen or pelvis. We will use a small, hollow needle to drain the fluid, which we insert under the guidance of ultrasound. It is a minimally invasive procedure that may be performed for diagnostic purposes, such as testing for infection, cancer cells or portal hypertension, or therapeutically to relieve any discomfort and pressure caused by the fluid.

PleurX drainage catheters are hollow tubes that can be placed into the chest or abdominal cavity to allow for drainage of recurrent fluid collections. Typically, we place these catheters using X-ray and ultrasound guidance, and they can be kept in place for extended periods of time for palliative medicine and pain management patients.

Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are medicines that are injected into the epidural space, or the fat-filled area between the bone and the protective sac of the spinal nerves. This helps to relieve neck, arm, back or leg pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves due to spinal stenosis or disc herniation. Pain relief can last for several days or years. The procedure is performed under X-ray guidance on an outpatient basis.

A feeding support tube is a small catheter that is safely inserted directly into the stomach for people who are unable to take in sufficient food by mouth, such as patients with head and neck cancers. It is often referred to as a feeding tube, gastrostomy tube or G-tube. When it comes to palliative medicine and pain management treatment, we may suggest tube feeding to help patients feel more comfortable when they are nearing the end of life.

In palliative medicine and pain management, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a technique used to reduce internal bleeding in the stomach and esophagus or to decrease the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (ascites) in patients with cirrhosis by creating a shunt to bypass a diseased or cirrhotic liver. Utilizing X-ray guidance, we will place a stent (a tiny mesh tube) to create a channel, allowing blood draining from the bowel to bypass the liver and return to the heart.

Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis that offers a safe alternative to surgery with little downtime. Performed by an interventional radiologist under local anesthesia, the procedure uses a tiny catheter to deliver microscopic particles that block abnormal blood vessels around the knee, reducing inflammation and pain without cutting into the joint.

Hemorrhoidal Artery Embolization (HAE) is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure for symptomatic hemorrhoids that reduces bleeding, swelling and discomfort. Guided by advanced imaging, our interventional radiologist inserts a small catheter into an artery and delivers microscopic particles to block the arteries feeding the hemorrhoids, relieving symptoms by decreasing blood flow.