Interventional Radiology

Using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), Matthew Bucknor, MD and his team are finding new ways to treat patients with uterine fibroids and bone metastasis.

UCSF Radiology is excited to announce that our Interventional Radiology Clinic at UCSF Health Parnassus campus now has a new home.

Interventional radiology physicians at UCSF, including Ryan Kohlbrenner, MD, now offer an alternative to prostate surgery—prostate artery embolization (PAE).

A second minimally invasive procedure used at UCSF to treat symptomatic uterine fibroids is called uterine artery embolization (UAE, sometimes known as uterine fibroid embolization or UFE.) This procedure works by blocking the blood supply to fibroids, which causes the fibroid tumors to shrink and die. UAE is an alternative to open surgery or laparoscopic surgery for fibroids. UAE is performed while the patient is conscious, but sedated and feeling no pain, and does not require general anesthesia.

The mainstream perception of radiology is as a diagnostic tool to see into parts of the body where our eyes can’t. Used that way, it’s the most effective way of diagnosing a broken bone, or locating a malignancy. But interventional radiologists can also manage complications of liver disease.

The United States spends more than any other country on healthcare. However, the excessive amount of money that the nation is spending on healthcare does not necessarily lead to better health outcomes or superior service.

Recognizing the growing importance and value of Interventional Radiology to medicine and patients, the American Board of Medical Specialties has approved the application from the American Board of Radiology for a new Dual Primary Certificate in Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology.