INTERVENTIONAL ONCOLOGY
Interventional oncology includes minimally invasive treatments that directly target cancer tumors using advanced image-guided technology. It is considered to be one of the most technologically advanced options in cancer treatment today.
Chemoembolization
Chemoembolization is a minimally invasive treatment currently used for liver cancer treatment. It delivers a high dose of cancer-killing drug (a chemotherapeutic pharmaceutical) directly to the tumor. Using imaging technology for guidance, our physicians thread a tiny catheter up the femoral artery in the groin into the blood vessels supplying the liver tumor. The embolic agents keep the chemotherapy drug in the tumor by blocking the flow to other areas of the body. This allows for a higher dose of chemotherapy drug to be used, because less of the drug is able to circulate to the healthy cells in the body.
Paracentesis and Thoracentesis
Paracentesis is a procedure used to remove peritoneal fluid in the abdominal cavity. Thoracentesis is a procedure used to remove excess fluid in the space between the lungs and the chest wall. Both procedures are performed under ultrasound guidance at Baltimore Vascular Care, in a pleasant and comfortable environment.
PICCs
A Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) is a long, thin plastic tube that functions as an intravenous (IV) line. A PICC line is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced under ultrasound and x-ray guidance until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest. A PICC's central tip location in the body allows for treatment that could not be achieved with a standard peripheral IV access. In addition, PICC insertions are less invasive, have fewer complications, and can remain in place for a much longer duration than other types of central lines.
Ports
Implantable ports are used to facilitate long term intravenous (IV) access, for example, to administer chemotherapy for cancer treatment. The implantable port is placed under the skin and has a small reservoir attached to a catheter which connects to a vein. An implantable port may be permanent, or it may be removed if it is determined that the patient no longer requires a port for access in the near future.
IVC Filter Insertion and Removal
Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters are designed to trap blood clots traveling the leg veins to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). They may be temporary or permanent. In a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure, the filter is placed through a catheter into the IVC, a large vein in the abdomen. Temporary IVC filters can be removed when there is no longer a risk of blood clot fragments traveling to the lungs. During the removal procedure, a special catheter is used to take hold of the filter and withdraw it from the body.
