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What is a transarterial chemoembolisation? Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is a targeted treatment that treats cancers (tumours) in the liver and other cancers that have spread to the liver (metastases). Other options to completely treat these cancers include surgery to remove the tumours, ablation of the cancer (directly damaging it with heat, freezing or electrifying, via a needle through the skin)...
Radiation oncology uses radiation (radiation therapy) to treat cancer and other non-malignant diseases. It is a safe and effective treatment for many cancers, with radiation therapy involved in the successful treatment of 40% of all patients cured of cancer worldwide. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy can be applied to cancers anywhere in the body. It kills…
Health consumers informationWhat is nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a medical speciality that involves giving a patient a small amount of radioactive medication, called a radiopharmaceutical. This makes the body slightly radioactive for a short time. A special nuclear medicine camera detects the radiation, which is emitted (released) from the body, and takes images or pictures of how the inside of the...
Interventional radiology is a medical specialisation that involves performing a range of imaging procedures to obtain images of the inside of the body. The interventional radiologist carefully interprets these images to diagnose injury and disease, and to perform a range of interventional medical procedures. Interventional radiologist use imaging techniques…
Health consumers informationWhat is a joint injection? A common cause of a painful joint is synovitis (inflammation of the lining of the joint). It can be useful to inject corticosteroid and/or local anaesthetic medication directly into the joint or the soft tissue next to a joint (this is often called a bursa) to reduce the inflammation and provide pain relief. Reduction in pain may make physical therapy…
What is a breast core biopsy? A breast core biopsy is where a special needle (or probe) is inserted into the breast to take a small sample of breast tissue from an area of concern so that it can be sent to a laboratory for testing. It is done using local anaesthetic to numb the breast in the area that is being biopsied. An abnormality may have been identified on a scan or X-ray image…
What is a Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)? The thyroid is a soft gland in the front of the neck, in front of the trachea, or ‘windpipe’. It has two lobes (rounded divisions or sections), each about the size of a small egg, joined by a thin bridge of tissue called the ‘isthmus’ of the thyroid. The thyroid gland is...
What is a breast fine needle aspiration? A breast fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a quick and simple procedure to perform, which removes some fluid or cells from a breast lesion or cyst (a lump, sore or swelling) with a fine needle similar to a blood sample needle. The sample of fluid or cells is smeared on a glass slide...
What is radiation? Background radiation is always present in our environment. It is inescapable and provides each of us with a continuous, small radiation dose. The sources of background radiation in our environment are cosmic rays from the universe, naturally occurring radioactive substances in the food and water we eat and drink, the air we breathe, in the ground,…
What is a nephrostomy? Urine is made in the kidneys. Humans have two kidneys, each of which passes urine to the bladder by a tube called the ureter. This tube can become blocked for a number of reasons (e.g. kidney stones or cancer). A blocked ureter can stop the kidney from working properly and can damage the kidney. Also, if the urine that is blocked becomes infected, it can…
What is Iodine-131 therapy? The thyroid gland is one of the body’s regulators, controlling and regulating the metabolism (the process of converting food and oxygen into energy). Sometimes the thyroid is overactive and sometimes it is affected by cancer. In both cases treatment with radioactive iodine (Iodine–131 therapy) may be required. Iodine-131 is given…
What is an MRI enterography or enteroclysis? Entero means small bowel and graphy means image, so enterography is taking images (or pictures) of the small bowel after drinking fluid to make the small bowel stand out on the images. Enteroclysis means a tube has been placed in the small bowel through the stomach. Whether enterography (drinking fluid) or enteroclysis (tube…
What is traumatic vascular injury to the head & neck? Traumatic vascular injuries can be either: A blunt injury to the chest, neck or head, which can result in damage to the blood vessels supplying the brain and can be caused by: forceful compression or pressure from a seat belt during a motor vehicle accident; sudden movements such as bending and extending of the neck…
What is a breast hookwire localisation? Many tests have been developed to find breast cancer early. Tests, such as mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can show abnormalities in the breast that cannot be felt by a woman or her doctor. If an abnormality that cannot be easily felt needs to be surgically removed, surgeons need a marker to guide to…
What is SIRT? Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is a treatment for liver cancers or tumours that delivers millions of tiny radioactive microspheres or beads called SIR-Spheres® directly to the liver tumours. SIR-Spheres® are about one third the diameter of a strand of hair in size and they release a type of radiation energy called ‘Beta’ radiation.…
What is a vacuum-assisted core biopsy? Vacuum-assisted core biopsy is a safe and minimally invasive procedure in which a sample of breast tissue is removed for examination. When breast imaging shows up very small abnormalities too small to be felt (i.e. anything unusual in the structure of the breast), Vacuum-assisted core biopsy is used to obtain samples of the breast…
What is an inferior vena cava filter? Inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) are mechanical devices that are designed to stop blood clots moving from the legs or pelvis into the heart or lungs. Small clots do not usually result in any problems. Larger blood clots travelling to the lung can cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, heart attack and long term breathing and heart…
What is a Uterine Fibroid Embolisation? Fibroids (also known as leiomyoma) are benign growths (non-cancerous) in the uterus or womb. They are common in fertile women and usually shrink after the menopause. The majority of fibroids are asymptomatic (without any obvious symptoms) and are either not known about by the individual or are found incidentally on examination…
What is an intracranial (brain) aneurysm? An intracranial (brain) aneurysm is an abnormal ballooning of the wall of an artery, which is a type of blood vessel carrying blood to the brain. The aneurysm is like a small sac and is localised, meaning it is limited to a small area, within the artery. In the brain, these vessels carry blood to the brain at high pressure compared to…
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