Global IR: a patient and physician resource

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Global IR

Embolization Procedures

Ablation Therapies

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Global IR

Minimally invasive care, wherever you are.

A patient and physician resource built to close the awareness and access gap in Interventional Radiology, so more people know these options exist before they need them.

I'm a Patient I'm a Physician

The awareness gap

Most people have never heard of us. That's the problem we're solving.

Despite offering safer, faster-recovery alternatives to surgery for hundreds of conditions, public awareness of Interventional Radiology remains extremely low, and that gap costs patients real options.

~40%

of the public identifies Interventional Radiology as a distinct medical specialty

92%

of patients, once informed, preferred a minimally invasive IR option over traditional surgery

31%+

of the population lives in a region without practical access to an interventional radiologist

⚑ Stats need re-verification against original cited studies before final publish

Two ways in

Not sure where to start? Search however makes sense to you.

Start with a condition

I know what I'm dealing with

Browse by disease or condition, from fibroids to peripheral artery disease, and see how IR can treat it.

Browse Conditions & Diseases →

Start with a procedure

I've heard of a specific procedure

Browse by treatment type: embolization, ablation, image-guided procedures, and more.

Browse Treatments & Techniques →

Explore by category

Conditions we help treat

Vascular

Cancer & Oncology

Neurological Conditions

Spine & Pain

Kidney & Dialysis

Liver & GI

Lung & Thoracic

Women's Health

Men's Health

Pediatric IR

New to interventional radiology?

Precise, minimally invasive care, guided by imaging instead of incisions.

Interventional radiology uses real-time imaging (X-ray, CT, ultrasound, and MRI) to diagnose and treat conditions through a small needle or catheter instead of open surgery. Less pain, shorter recovery, often a same-day return home.

IR treats an unusually wide range of conditions: blocked arteries, tumors, fibroids, back pain, kidney and liver disease, and more. Often a safer, faster-recovery alternative to traditional surgery.

Learn what IR treats →

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Our mission

Equitable access, wherever you live.

We believe a patient in a remote community deserves the same access to information and options as one in a major city. Global IR is built by a team of practicing interventional radiologists to close that gap, one patient and one referring physician at a time.

Read our mission →

Who's behind this

Led by fellowship-trained interventional radiologists

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Ravjot Dhatt, MD FRCPC

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Nevin de Korompay, MD FRCPC

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Leandro Leite, MD FRCPC

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Manraj Heran, MD FRCPC

+more

View full team →

In collaboration with

Logos shown are examples only. Final partner list pending confirmation from Rav, these should be organizations with a confirmed relationship to Global IR, not the full target list from the source deck.

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+48 more →

"This is for the public, to increase awareness. Maybe it helps a few people. That is the goal."

Ravjot Dhatt, MD FRCPC, Founder

Explore Conditions & Treatments Support the Mission

Global IR: a patient and physician resource

Global IR Find a Doctor

Global IR

Home

Embolization Procedures

Ablation Therapies

Vascular Interventions

Image-Guided Procedures

Dialysis Access Procedures

Pain & Palliative Procedures

Patient Education

Physician Education

Research & Evidence

Overview of IR Research

Clinical Studies

Outcomes & Effectiveness

Find a Doctor

Conditions & Diseases

Interventional radiology treats an unusually wide range of conditions across nearly every part of the body, often as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgery. Below, we've organized the conditions IR treats into ten categories, from vascular disease and cancer to women's and men's health, spine and pain, kidney and dialysis, liver and GI conditions, lung and thoracic conditions, and pediatric care. Each category page explains what the condition is, what symptoms to watch for, how interventional radiology treats it, and what outcomes patients can typically expect.

If you already know the name of a procedure rather than a condition, you can also start from Treatments & Techniques instead.

By Category By Procedure Type

Medically reviewed by the Global IR clinical team · Last updated August 2026

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Vascular

Peripheral artery disease, aortic aneurysms, blood clots, and vein conditions.

View conditions →

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Cancer & Oncology

Tumor ablation, embolization, and targeted therapies for liver, lung, and kidney cancers.

View conditions →

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Neurological Conditions

Stroke, brain aneurysm, and carotid stenosis via minimally invasive neurointervention.

View conditions →

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Spine & Pain

Compression fractures, chronic back pain, and spinal tumors.

View conditions →

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Kidney & Dialysis

Chronic kidney disease, dialysis access, and renal artery conditions.

View conditions →

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Liver & GI

Liver disease, portal hypertension, pancreatic conditions, and GI bleeding.

View conditions →

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Lung & Thoracic

Coughing up blood, lung cancer, and chest-related vascular conditions.

View conditions →

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Women's Health ↳ page 03

Fibroids, adenomyosis, infertility, and pelvic congestion syndrome.

View conditions →

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Men's Health

Enlarged prostate (BPH) and varicocele treatment through targeted embolization.

View conditions →

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Pediatric IR

Minimally invasive care designed specifically for infants, children, and teens.

View conditions →

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What is interventional radiology, in plain terms? +

It's a medical specialty that treats disease through small needles and catheters guided by real-time imaging, instead of open surgery. Many procedures are done through a nick in the skin no larger than a few millimeters.

How do I know which category applies to me? +

Start with whichever you know: the condition you've been diagnosed with, or the body area causing symptoms. If you already know the name of a procedure a doctor mentioned, you can search by treatment type instead.

Is interventional radiology safe? +

Like any medical procedure, IR carries some risk, but because most procedures are minimally invasive, complication rates are generally lower than equivalent open surgery, with shorter recovery and less time under anesthesia.

Do I need a referral to see an interventional radiologist? +

In most healthcare systems, yes, typically from your primary care provider or a specialist. If your doctor hasn't mentioned IR as an option, it's worth asking directly whether a minimally invasive alternative exists.

Will more conditions be added to this list? +

Yes. Interventional radiology is a fast-evolving field, and new procedures are regularly developed for conditions already listed here. Our clinical team reviews and expands this content on an ongoing basis.

Global IR: a patient and physician resource

Global IR Find a Doctor

Global IR

Home

Embolization Procedures

Ablation Therapies

Vascular Interventions

Image-Guided Procedures

Dialysis Access Procedures

Pain & Palliative Procedures

Patient Education

Physician Education

Research & Evidence

Overview of IR Research

Clinical Studies

Outcomes & Effectiveness

Find a Doctor

Women's Health

Interventional radiology offers non-surgical alternatives for a range of women's health conditions, often preserving the uterus, reducing recovery time, and avoiding general anesthesia entirely. Many of these procedures are done on an outpatient basis, with most patients home the same day.

FibroidsAdenomyosisInfertilityPelvic Congestion Syndrome

Medically reviewed by the Global IR clinical team · Last updated August 2026

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Condition 1 of 4

Uterine Fibroids

70 to 80%of women will have at least one fibroid by age 50

65xmore hysterectomies performed than UFE for fibroids nationally

Condition overview

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in the muscle or connective tissue of the uterus. They are extremely common: by age 50, an estimated 70 to 80% of women will have had at least one. Symptoms can range from none at all to significantly disruptive.

Symptoms

Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination, and in some cases, difficulty conceiving.

How IR treats it

Interventional radiologists treat fibroids through Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE), a catheter-based procedure that cuts off blood supply to the fibroid, causing it to shrink, without removing the uterus.

Who is typically a candidate

Women with symptomatic fibroids who want to avoid surgery, preserve their uterus, or who are not good candidates for general anesthesia. A referring physician or interventional radiologist can confirm suitability based on fibroid size, number, and location.

Procedure options

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). See full procedure page →

Patient outcomes (optional)

UFE is a well-established alternative to hysterectomy or myomectomy, associated with shorter hospital stays and faster return to normal activity. Nationally, hysterectomy is performed roughly 65 times more often than UFE for fibroid treatment, a gap the research suggests is driven more by awareness than by suitability.

⚑ Outcomes stat needs source re-verification before publish

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Condition 2 of 4

Adenomyosis

11 to 13%of women affected, most often diagnosed ages 41 to 45

~76%reported symptom improvement after UAE in a combined review of over 500 patients

Condition overview

Adenomyosis occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows into the muscular wall of the uterus instead. It's a common but under-recognized condition, affecting an estimated 11 to 13% of women, most often diagnosed between ages 41 and 45. For about one in three women, it causes no symptoms at all and is discovered incidentally.

Symptoms

Heavy or prolonged periods, painful menstrual cramping, chronic pelvic pain and pressure, and in some cases an enlarged, tender uterus.

How IR treats it

Interventional radiologists treat adenomyosis with Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE), the same catheter-based technique used for fibroids. Blocking blood flow to the affected tissue causes adenomyotic lesions to shrink, easing pain and bleeding without removing the uterus. It's typically considered when medication hasn't provided enough relief, and offers an alternative to hysterectomy.

Who is typically a candidate

Women with confirmed adenomyosis on imaging (ultrasound or MRI) whose symptoms haven't responded to hormonal or medical management, and who want to avoid or delay hysterectomy.

Procedure options

Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE).

Patient outcomes (optional)

In a combined review of over 500 women treated with UAE for adenomyosis across 15 studies, roughly 76% reported meaningful symptom improvement, with benefits generally holding at a median follow-up of more than two years.

◆ Content sourced from published clinical literature (JVIR, SIR Foundation), not from the doctor's original material. Recommend review by Ravjot and Nevin before publishing.

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Condition 3 of 4

Infertility (Blocked Fallopian Tubes)

Up to 100%technical success rate reopening the blocked tube

~33 to 41%of patients conceive within a year, vs. ~24% per single IVF cycle

Condition overview

Infertility affects roughly 1 in 7 couples, and blocked fallopian tubes are a significant contributing cause, most often where the tube meets the uterus. When the tube is blocked, the egg and sperm cannot meet, making natural conception difficult or impossible.

Symptoms

Tubal obstruction usually causes no symptoms on its own. It's typically discovered during a fertility workup, most often through an imaging test called a hysterosalpingogram, after a couple has been trying to conceive without success.

How IR treats it

Interventional radiologists can often reopen a blocked fallopian tube with Fallopian Tube Recanalization (FTR), a same-day, catheter-based procedure that clears the blockage without surgery. It's typically offered as a first step before more invasive or costly fertility treatments like IVF.

Who is typically a candidate

Women diagnosed with proximal tubal obstruction (blockage near the uterus) on a hysterosalpingogram, without active infection, recent surgery, or pregnancy.

Procedure options

Fallopian Tube Recanalization (FTR).

Patient outcomes (optional)

Published series report technical success reopening the tube in up to 100% of appropriate cases, with roughly a third of women conceiving within a year, most going on to deliver a healthy, full-term baby. That compares favorably to the roughly 24% pregnancy rate typically cited for a single round of IVF.

◆ Content sourced from published clinical literature (SIR, JVIR, PubMed), not from the doctor's original material. Recommend review by Ravjot and Nevin before publishing.

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Condition 4 of 4

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

Up to 30%of women with unexplained chronic pelvic pain have this condition

~90%reported pain improvement after embolization in published follow-up

Condition overview

Pelvic congestion syndrome happens when veins in the pelvis, often around the ovaries, become enlarged and function poorly, similar to varicose veins in the legs. Blood pools instead of draining properly, and the resulting pressure causes chronic pain. It's an under-recognized condition, present in up to 3 in 10 women with chronic pelvic pain that has no other clear cause.

Symptoms

A dull, aching pelvic pain that tends to worsen with standing, sitting for long periods, menstruation, or intercourse. Pain is often worse later in the day, and may come with visible varicose veins in the buttocks, thighs, or vulva.

How IR treats it

Treated through ovarian vein embolization, a catheter-based procedure that closes off the faulty, enlarged veins so they can no longer pool with blood. Most patients resume normal activity the same or next day.

Who is typically a candidate

Women with chronic pelvic pain and imaging-confirmed pelvic vein incompetence or enlargement, especially where other causes of pelvic pain have been ruled out.

Procedure options

Ovarian vein embolization. See full procedure page →

Patient outcomes (optional)

In published follow-up studies, roughly 9 in 10 women report improvement in pelvic pain after embolization, with close to half becoming entirely symptom-free.

◆ Content sourced from published clinical literature (UCLA Health, JVIR, PMC), not from the doctor's original material. Recommend review by Ravjot and Nevin before publishing.

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Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Will I still be able to have children after uterine fibroid embolization? +

UFE preserves the uterus, and many women go on to have children afterward, though it is generally recommended for women who have completed childbearing or aren't actively planning pregnancy in the near term. Discuss your specific fertility goals with your doctor.

How is adenomyosis different from fibroids? +

Fibroids are discrete growths within the uterus, while adenomyosis is a more diffuse condition where uterine lining tissue grows into the muscular wall itself. The two conditions can occur together and share similar symptoms and treatment approaches.

Is fallopian tube recanalization painful? +

Most patients describe mild cramping similar to a menstrual cramp during the procedure. It's typically done on an outpatient basis in around 30 minutes, and most people return to normal activities the same day.

How do I know if my pelvic pain is pelvic congestion syndrome? +

Because symptoms overlap with other conditions, diagnosis typically requires imaging, such as an ultrasound, CT, or MRI, sometimes followed by a venogram. If pain worsens with standing or is unexplained by other causes, it's worth asking your doctor about PCS specifically.

Continue exploring

Related procedures

Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Embolization Procedures →

Ovarian Vein Embolization

Embolization Procedures →

Fallopian Tube Recanalization

OB/GYN Intervention →