When confronted with cancer, it is common for patients to seek treatment at facilities outside of Corpus Christi. Sometimes treatments do not work as effectively as planned, or not at all. When it appears that nothing more can be done, and giving up is the only option, the team at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Shoreline that specializes in lnterventional Radiology offers them something that seems almost completely out of reach: hope.
lnterventional Radiology combines familiar tools and techniques to create a simple yet powerful process that delivers 21st century medicine to patients. Using imaging such as X-ray, CT, ultrasound, MRI and fluoroscopy in concert with catheters – long, thin, flexible tubes – radiology specialists Dr. Kevin Ching, Dr. Tony Hein, Dr. Alexander Aitken and Dr. Casey Almonte perform a wide variety of unique procedures which may apply to many different conditions and diseases. This includes installing special IV lines, treating life-threatening hemorrhages, saving limbs at risk of amputation and opening failing grafts in dialysis patients.
Our radiologists also treat certain types of cancer in the liver and kidneys by reaching and attacking tumors in these organs directly. This amazing group of professionals emphasizes that these procedures are not an end-all cure. However, they can dramatically reduce the size of tumors, even destroying them entirely, resulting in a positive outcome and improving quality of life. One of the methods involves starving the tumor by cutting off blood vessels while delivering chemotherapy directly into the tumor. Other techniques involve the use of radiation, microwave energy, and radiofrequency ablation.
The process is minimally invasive, which means there is no need for long, painful incisions and most cases can be treated without the use of general anesthesia. Patients can recover in a matter of days rather than weeks, and often at a lower expense.
CHRISTUS Spohn Shoreline will open a new lnterventional Radiology facility in the coming months. Among the upgrades are additional space and newer imaging equipment. This will allow the team to operate more efficiently and treat more patients.
lnterventional Radiology is also effective in the area of trauma. During one particular case, a patient arrived with a potentially fatal stab wound to his neck. The knife tore an artery that was difficult to reach, which prevented a straightforward method to repairing the damage. But by approaching from below the groin, Dr. Aitken was able to place covered stent grafts that sealed one side and allowed surgeons to complete the repair. The man survived, and now he can move forward and enjoy life thanks to the skilled efforts of the physicians, nurses, technologists and supporting staff of lnterventional Radiology.
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