Contact: Sara Benzel
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UW Health Kids opens first pediatric interventional radiology suite of its kind
MADISON, Wis. – In June, UW Health Kids began welcoming patients into a new state-of-the-art imaging suite dedicated to interventional radiology for patients at American Family Children’s Hospital.
Interventional radiology is a medical subspecialty that uses medical imaging such as MRI, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and computed tomography, known as CT scans, to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures. These procedures are highly precise, less invasive and can enable faster recoveries, which is so important for young patients, according to Dr. Eric Monroe, pediatric interventional radiologist, UW Health Kids, and professor of radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“Our care team supports all kinds of patients, from those with vascular disorders to those with cancer, performing a wide range of procedures and interventions such as placing catheters, performing biopsies and more,” he said. “This new space is going to enable us to perform all these vital services for so many more patients moving forward.”
The suite will serve patients in the hospital and will also be available for outpatient procedures. It features several advanced technologies that enable flexible use of the space, including an imaging C-shaped arm with an AI-supported guidance tool attached to the center of the room that allows the care team to move the imaging to and around the patient, making it supportive of all body types and improving comfort for the patient during the procedure. The system can also then be moved away from the patient before or after a procedure, making the space less confining or stressful for young patients, according to Monroe.
In addition, the suite features highly advanced technologies, including 3D imaging solutions and advanced navigational tools.
The image-guiding solution in the suite, called Allia Moveo, was developed by GE HealthCare, which has a long-standing relationship with UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. It is the fourth suite of its kind in the world currently being used for patient care, and the first implementation in the world for pediatric interventional radiology. It will be used for research, as well as patient care, Monroe said.
The suite is also expected to double the interventional radiology procedures performed annually at American Family Children’s Hospital, he said.
“When I got here in 2021, we did about 300 interventional radiology procedures per year, and now we’re up to 800,” Monroe said. “But we still saw delays or patients going elsewhere because we didn’t have the space to care for the volume of patients we would have liked to.”
This move will increase access to pediatric heart care for UW Health Kids patients by expanding available space in pediatric interventional cardiology, as the interventional radiology team previously shared the space with that team. It will also increase capacity in the operating rooms at the children’s hospital by enabling more care to be delivered in the minimally invasive suite.
“There are many procedures that can be done in interventional radiology or in the operating room,” Monroe said. “Now our surgeons will have more capacity for the patients who need their specific expertise and the operative environment.”
This state-of-the-art suite is also key to attracting the best talent to Madison, according to Monroe.
“We have the best team and want to be sure we’ve also got the best tools that ensure the best people want to come work with us here in Wisconsin,” he said.
