High-quality, Efficient, Minimally Invasive Medical Treatments Showcased March 26-31 in Chicago, Ill.

FAIRFAX, Va., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Interventional Radiology will present the latest research on treatments for individuals with chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI; liver and breast cancer; enlarged prostates; uterine fibroids, high blood pressure; and more at its 36th Annual Scientific Meeting March 26-31 at McCormick Place (West) in Chicago, Ill. The theme of the meeting is "IR Rising: Leading Image-guided Medicine," chosen to reflect interventional radiology's continued revolutionizing of modern medicine.

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Highlights of embargoed key interventional radiology studies being presented are listed below.

Illustrations and broadcast-quality footage are available for some stories; interviews with lead researchers can be arranged on request.

Interventional Radiology Treatment for CCSVI in MS Patients

Advancing MS Research: A Look at a Vein-opening Treatment

About 500,000 people in the United States have MS generally thought of as an incurable, disabling autoimmune disease in which a person's body attacks its own cells. A new study explores an endovascular treatment used by interventional radiologists to widen the veins in the neck and chest to improve blood flow. Will it encourage additional studies for its use as a treatment option for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI in individuals with multiple sclerosis? Such treatments could be transformative for patients.

(Embargoed for release until Monday, March 28, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern) B-roll will be available.

Cancer Advances

Busting Liver Cancer: Is an Interventional Radiology Treatment Safer and Life Extending?

In the United States, 20,000 cases of primary liver cancer are diagnosed each year; for metastatic colon cancer, that number is 150,000 per year. Interventional radiologists have pioneered an intra-arterial treatment for those with liver cancer. A large multi-institutional study provides new information on the use of intra-arterial yttrium-90 radioembolization, which was introduced in 2000, to treat liver cancer. What does this tiny treatment mean for individuals with liver cancer?

(Embargoed for release until Monday, March 28, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

Delaying the Growth and Spread Breast Cancer: Can Tumors Be Kept Dormant?

In the United States, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die from the disease every 13 minutes. Once breast cancer metastases have been detected, current treatments (such as surgical resection or tumor removal) may be ineffective. A new study looks at delaying the growth and spread of breast cancer with innovative interventional radiology strategies.

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

New Science

Helping Wounded Warriors: Can Technology Developed for Navy Submarines Be Used to Diagnose Stroke Quickly?

From the invention of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were both first used to treat peripheral arterial disease in the legs, to drug-coated stents, balloon angioplasty, ozone generators and radiofrequency ablation and clot-removing devices of today -- interventional radiologists have continued to shape and change the medical landscape and improve patient care. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability. Again, interventional radiologists are at the forefront of new medicine with naval sonar technology that may offer a new paradigm for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of stroke -- especially when it comes to saving soldiers' lives. Can this benefit other areas of acute care, such as high-risk surgeries?

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

Examining Radiation Safety: What if a Pre-administered Mix Provided Protection Against DNA Damage?

CT scans, mammograms and other medical imaging techniques are important diagnostic tools; however, safety and cell damage are legitimate concerns. Interventional radiologists remain at the forefront of radiation safety with a study that looks at reducing DNA injury. What if a specific formula mix helped patients -- along with interventional and diagnostic radiologists, X-ray technologists and others who have occupational exposure?

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

DVT Awareness

Learning the "Plane" Truth About Economy Class Syndrome: Know the Risk Factors for DVT, Post-thrombotic Syndrome, Pulmonary Embolism

In the United States alone, nearly 2 million new cases of deep vein thrombosis or DVT occur each year, and 600,000 people with the condition are admitted to hospitals. During DVT Awareness Month, the public should recognize the risk factors for deep vein thrombosis -- it's not just from extended plane rides. In adults and children, DVT can lead to pulmonary embolism, post-thrombotic syndrome, permanent damage to the leg and even death. Interventional radiologists, doctors at the forefront of research into minimally invasive methods to treat DVT and its complications, are addressing these conditions with new techniques that are faster, safer and extremely effective at not only treating -- but destroying -- the clot.

(Embargoed for release until Monday, March 28, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern) B-roll and medical illustrations are available.

Men's Health

Treating Enlarged Prostates: No Scalpel Necessary

All men will have enlarged prostates if they live long enough. An estimated 19 million men in the United States have benign prostatic hyperplasia, characterized by urinary frequency, urgency, passing urine more often (particularly at night), weakened stream and incomplete bladder emptying. Find out more about how a new interventional radiology treatment that blocks blood supply to a man's enlarged prostate compares  to transurethral resection of the prostate (or TURP surgery), which is considered the current gold standard treatment.

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

Women's Health

Reducing Fibroid-Related Urinary Symptoms: An Outstanding Treatment Choice Available

Twenty to 40 percent of American women 35 and older have uterine fibroids, benign tumors in the uterus that can cause prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding that can be severe enough to cause anemia or require transfusion, disabling pelvic pain and pressure and urinary frequency. Women's urinary symptoms may be put in the background and not addressed initially. A new study provides first results on an effective minimally invasive treatment to control and relieve many lower urinary tract problems.

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern) B-roll and medical illustrations are available.

Treating Postpartum Hemorrhage: How Does an Interventional Radiology Treatment Compare With Traditional Surgical Methods?

All women who carry a pregnancy beyond 20 weeks' gestation are at risk for postpartum hemorrhage, a dangerous complication of delivery that can cause a critical drop in blood pressure that may lead to shock and even death. In a large study, interventional radiologists determine the safety and effectiveness of pelvic arterial embolization -- a minimally invasive treatment where bleeding is halted by using a catheter through the groin to inject small blood-stopping particles into the arteries supplying the uterus.

(Embargoed for release until Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

High Blood Pressure

Decreasing Resistant Hypertension: Taking It to New Lows in a Minimally Invasive Way

It is estimated that one in every four American adults has high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart and/or kidney disease and stroke because it makes the heart work too hard. Does zapping certain nerves in the kidneys with energy offer an effective way at reducing and consistently controlling resistant high blood pressure -- even when medications have failed? Are there other disease states that could adopt this treatment method?

(Embargoed for release until Monday, March 28, 2011, at 8 a.m. Eastern)

To register for the Annual Scientific Meeting, visit www.SIRmeeting.org.  

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue.

Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org.

The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its 36th Annual Scientific Meeting March 26-31 at McCormick Place (West Building) in Chicago, Ill. The theme of the meeting is "IR Rising: Leading Image-guided Medicine," chosen to reflect interventional radiology's continued revolutionizing of modern medicine.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology