Not long ago, open surgery was the only option to treat some conditions. Today, interventional radiology can treat several medical disorders without the need for open surgery by using minimally invasive procedures. This treatment approach results in less scarring, less pain and a shorter recovery time for patients.

Interventional radiology procedures can be used on several parts of the body, including your heart. For cardiovascular care, interventional radiologists use image-guided techniques to diagnose or internally treat a disease. If you have a heart-related problem, an angiography may be used to examine how well blood is flowing through your arteries, or you may have an angioplasty to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels. Catheter-directed thrombolysis can dissolve blood clots.

The interventional radiologists in the Sutter Health network have expertise using state-of-the-art, minimally invasive procedures to treat a variety of heart disorders. And our heart centers are recognized for high quality care, including being named among the best in the nation by organizations such as the American Heart Association, U.S. News & World Report, Healthgrades, Truven Health Analytics, and the American College of Cardiology.