Introduction to the special section on interventional abdominal radiology

Excerpt

Abdominal radiologists have an illustrious history in the invention and development of image-guided percutaneous interventional techniques. Many of the most common procedures performed in radiology departments worldwide were first described by abdominal radiologists, including percutaneous biopsy, abscess drainage, and percutaneous tumor ablation. Unfortunately, for various reasons, some abdominal radiologists have been forced—or have chosen—to forgo performing these procedures, often for reasons of convenience or turf. This change in focus may even be subconsciously reflected in a change in title, from “abdominal radiologist” to “abdominal imager” or even the antiquated misnomer: “body imager.” We believe that this is unfortunate in that true excellence in image-guided procedures arises from a deep understanding of the anatomy, disease processes, state-of-the-art imaging, and clinical skills; all attributes of abdominal radiologists. We want to be clear—procedural expertise is not the exclusive domain of any particular subspecialty, but by virtue of the daily viewing of thousands of images with all imaging technologies, responsibility for the technical aspects of image acquisition, interaction with multiple referring subspecialists and patients, and extensive knowledge of the origins and consequences of abdominal diseases, abdominal radiologists have all the tools necessary to provide excellence in image-guided abdominal interventions. …