Modern medicine increasingly favors doing more with less—less trauma to healthy tissue, shorter recovery periods, and less disruption to a patient’s everyday life. Interventional radiology has become one of the clearest expressions of this philosophy, offering image-guided procedures that accomplish what once required open surgery through pathways no wider than a needle. HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, a not-for-profit community hospital founded in 1903 and located on Green Bay’s west side, has built interventional radiology into the core of its diagnostic imaging program.
For the communities of Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that depend on St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center for care, this specialty provides access to minimally invasive procedures that can diagnose disease, manage chronic conditions, and address complex anatomical problems—without the recovery burden associated with conventional surgery. Understanding what the program involves helps patients and families approach referrals with clarity and confidence.
What Is Interventional Radiology?
Interventional radiology (IR) is a medical subspecialty positioned at the intersection of advanced imaging and direct clinical intervention. Its practitioners—board-certified interventional radiologists—use real-time imaging as a navigation system, guiding specialized instruments through the body to diagnose and treat disease with minimal physical disruption to surrounding tissue.
The imaging technologies that make this possible include fluoroscopy (live X-ray), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each one offers a distinct window into the body’s internal anatomy, and the choice of modality depends on the specific procedure and the structures involved.
What distinguishes IR from conventional radiology is that it is not a purely diagnostic discipline. Interventional radiologists use imaging not only to interpret what they see but to act on it—performing biopsies, placing vascular access devices, stabilizing fractured vertebrae, and opening blocked blood vessels, all while watching their instruments move in real time. This combination of visual precision and clinical capability has transformed treatment pathways across oncology, vascular medicine, pain management, and other fields.
Interventional Radiology at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center
HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center highlights interventional radiology as a core component of its imaging services program. The hospital describes IR as using minimally invasive techniques to treat a range of conditions, with procedures that carry less risk, require smaller incisions, and allow for shorter recovery times than conventional surgery. These procedures are performed by board-certified interventional radiologists—physicians with advanced training in image-guided, minimally invasive care.
Interventional radiology services at the hospital are integrated within a broader diagnostic imaging department that also includes CT, MRI, PET/CT, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and X-ray. Each modality contributes to the hospital’s ability to both identify and treat a wide range of clinical conditions, often within the same facility and under the care of the same physician group.
The Green Bay Radiology Partnership
A defining feature of the interventional radiology program at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is its partnership with Green Bay Radiology, S.C., a physician-driven radiology practice that operates as a LucidHealth practice. With over 20 locally based radiologists, Green Bay Radiology serves four hospitals and more than 40 outpatient clinical facilities across Northeast Wisconsin—making it one of the region’s most established radiology groups.
Board-certified radiologists employed through this partnership promptly read imaging studies and send signed, interpreted reports directly to referring physicians’ offices. Several members of the group hold added qualifications in vascular and interventional radiology, meaning patients who receive IR care at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center benefit from subspecialized expertise without needing to travel to a larger metropolitan medical center. Green Bay Radiology also provides a 24/7 coverage model, which supports the imaging needs of patients presenting with urgent or emergent conditions.
Key Image-Guided Minimally Invasive Procedures
The interventional radiology program at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center addresses a range of clinical needs. Each procedure uses real-time imaging as its guide, allowing a specialist to navigate instruments with precision while avoiding unnecessary disruption to surrounding healthy tissue. The table below outlines the primary IR procedures available, the clinical conditions they address, and the imaging technologies used to guide them.
| Procedure | Clinical Application | Imaging Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Port Insertion | Long-term vascular access for chemotherapy, antibiotics, or IV nutrition | Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound |
| Image-Guided Biopsy | Tissue sampling from organs, masses, or lymph nodes for pathological analysis | CT, Ultrasound, Fluoroscopy |
| Vertebroplasty | Stabilization of vertebral compression fractures, often caused by osteoporosis | Fluoroscopy |
| PICC Line Placement | Peripherally inserted central catheter for extended intravenous therapy | Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound |
| Drainage Procedures | Removal of fluid from abscesses, cysts, or body cavities | CT, Ultrasound |
| Vascular Access Management | Dialysis access maintenance, fistulagram, and intervention | Fluoroscopy |
| Angioplasty and Stenting | Opening narrowed or blocked blood vessels to restore circulation | Fluoroscopy / Angiography |
These procedures can form part of a single treatment episode or serve as recurring components of ongoing care, depending on each patient’s condition and the goals established by their referring physician.
Port Insertions
A port—formally called an implantable venous access device—is a small reservoir placed beneath the skin, typically in the chest, that provides a stable and reliable entry point for blood draws and intravenous medications over extended periods. Port insertions are especially common in oncology settings, where patients undergoing chemotherapy may require months of treatment without subjecting peripheral veins to repeated needle sticks. During the procedure, the interventional radiologist uses imaging guidance to navigate a catheter through a central vein and secure it in the correct position before connecting it to the subcutaneous port reservoir.
Image-Guided Biopsies
When diagnostic imaging identifies a suspicious lesion—whether in the liver, lung, kidney, lymph node, or elsewhere—a biopsy provides the tissue sample necessary to determine whether the abnormality is benign or malignant. Rather than requiring an open surgical approach, interventional radiologists use CT, ultrasound, or fluoroscopic guidance to precisely locate the target tissue and direct a specialized needle to it. A small core of tissue is extracted and sent to a pathology laboratory for analysis. Image-guided biopsies are typically performed as outpatient procedures, carry a low complication rate, and produce results that directly shape a patient’s treatment plan.
Vertebroplasty
Vertebral compression fractures—most commonly caused by osteoporosis-related bone loss—can produce severe back pain that fails to resolve with conservative treatment. Vertebroplasty addresses this through fluoroscopic guidance: the interventional radiologist inserts a thin needle into the fractured vertebra and injects a specialized bone cement that hardens rapidly. The hardened cement stabilizes the damaged bone and typically provides significant pain relief within a short period after the procedure, often without the prolonged recovery that spinal surgery would require.
The Imaging Technology Supporting IR Procedures
The accuracy of any interventional radiology procedure depends entirely on the quality of the imaging used to guide it. HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center maintains an array of accredited imaging systems that underpin both its diagnostic work and its interventional program.
Fluoroscopy provides continuous, real-time X-ray imaging that allows the interventional radiologist to watch instruments and contrast material moving through the body as a procedure unfolds. It is the primary guidance tool for vascular work, port and PICC placements, and vertebroplasty.
CT (Computed Tomography) generates detailed, three-dimensional cross-sectional images of internal structures, making it well suited for targeting deep-seated masses during biopsies and drainage procedures. The CT scanner at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce real-time images of soft tissue, blood vessels, and fluid collections without ionizing radiation. It is commonly used to guide needle placement for biopsies, vascular access procedures, and drainage. The ultrasound system at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center holds ACR accreditation.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) produces high-resolution soft-tissue images using magnetic fields and radio waves, with no radiation exposure. The MRI at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is ACR-accredited—a designation that verifies the equipment, protocols, and personnel meet nationally recognized standards.
The Training and Role of the Interventional Radiologist
An interventional radiologist is a physician who has completed medical school, a full diagnostic radiology residency, and a dedicated interventional radiology fellowship—a training pathway that cultivates both deep imaging expertise and hands-on procedural skill. Board certification in interventional radiology is granted by the American Board of Radiology.
At HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, the physicians who perform IR procedures are part of the Green Bay Radiology group, several of whom hold added qualifications specifically in vascular and interventional radiology. Their responsibilities across the IR care pathway include:
- Reviewing a patient’s relevant imaging studies and medical history before scheduling a procedure
- Identifying pre-existing conditions—such as diabetes, impaired renal function, or coagulation abnormalities—that require management prior to intervention
- Selecting the imaging modality and procedural technique best suited to each case
- Performing the procedure under real-time imaging guidance
- Communicating procedural findings and outcomes to the referring physician and other members of the care team
This clinical engagement positions interventional radiologists as active contributors to a patient’s treatment plan rather than consultants who work solely behind the scenes—bridging the gap between diagnostic imaging and hands-on patient care.
The Patient Benefits of Minimally Invasive, Image-Guided Care
The advantages of interventional radiology over conventional open surgery are well documented and consistently meaningful to patients. For individuals served by St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, understanding these benefits helps frame the value of an IR referral in practical, everyday terms. The following points reflect the primary clinical and practical advantages that image-guided procedures offer:
- Smaller access points: Most IR procedures require only a small puncture in the skin, reducing the risk of wound complications and minimizing visible scarring.
- Reduced anesthesia requirements: Many procedures are performed under local anesthesia with sedation rather than general anesthesia, lowering anesthetic risk and shortening the immediate recovery period.
- Lower infection risk: Less disruption to internal tissue reduces the potential for post-procedural infection.
- Shorter hospital stays: A substantial proportion of IR procedures are outpatient or same-day, allowing patients to return home rather than remain hospitalized for recovery.
- Faster return to normal activity: Because the body experiences less physical trauma, patients typically resume daily routines more quickly than after comparable open surgical procedures.
- Reduced blood loss: Minimally invasive instrument access significantly limits intraoperative bleeding.
- Precision targeting: Real-time imaging ensures instruments reach exactly the intended location, preserving surrounding healthy tissue.
Taken together, these advantages make interventional radiology an important option not only for patients seeking to avoid surgery but also for those whose age, comorbidities, or overall health status would make conventional surgery particularly high-risk.
Accreditation and Quality Standards
Accreditation is a meaningful indicator that an imaging facility has met rigorous, independently validated standards for equipment performance, staff qualifications, image quality, and patient safety. For patients who undergo IR procedures that depend on CT or ultrasound guidance, knowing that those systems are accredited directly affirms the reliability of the imaging on which their care depends. The following table summarizes the accreditations relevant to the imaging services at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center.
| Imaging Service | Accrediting Body |
|---|---|
| CT (Computed Tomography) | American College of Radiology (ACR) |
| MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) | American College of Radiology (ACR) |
| Ultrasound | American College of Radiology (ACR) |
| PET/CT | Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) |
These accreditations reflect an ongoing institutional commitment to quality that extends across the entire imaging enterprise at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center—not merely individual pieces of equipment.
Who May Benefit from Interventional Radiology?
Interventional radiology serves a broad range of patient populations, and physicians across many specialties refer patients to IR when a minimally invasive approach is clinically appropriate. The following represents a cross-section of the patients who may be directed to the IR program at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center:
- Cancer patients who need a port inserted for chemotherapy administration, or who require a tissue biopsy to confirm or characterize a diagnosis
- Individuals with osteoporosis-related vertebral compression fractures that have not responded to conservative pain management strategies
- Patients requiring long-term intravenous therapy—for antibiotics, nutritional support, or ongoing medications—who need reliable and comfortable vascular access
- Those with fluid collections, abscesses, or cysts requiring image-guided drainage
- Patients with vascular conditions involving narrowed or blocked arteries where angioplasty or stenting may restore adequate blood flow
- Dialysis patients who need management, maintenance, or evaluation of their vascular access
Not every patient presenting with these conditions will automatically be a candidate for an IR procedure. A pre-procedure review by the interventional radiology team assesses each patient’s imaging findings, medical history, current medications, and overall clinical picture to determine the most appropriate and safest course of action.
Conclusion
Interventional radiology is built on a straightforward premise: precise, image-guided treatment should not require large incisions, prolonged hospital stays, or extended recovery periods. The program at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center puts this premise into practice through a range of procedures—from port insertions and biopsies to vertebroplasty and vascular access management—each guided by accredited imaging technology and performed by board-certified specialists.
For patients and physicians in Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the availability of a well-structured interventional radiology program within a community hospital setting means that subspecialized, minimally invasive care is accessible close to home. Anchored by the partnership with Green Bay Radiology and reinforced by ACR accreditation across multiple imaging modalities, St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center provides a clear path from referral to recovery—guided at every step by imaging and the expertise of board-certified specialists.