ANAESTHESIA FOR INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGICAL PROCEDURES: A REVIEW ARTICLE

Interventional Radiology (IR) is a rapidly advancing subspecialty of medicine that utilizes real time imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to perform minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These procedures span a wide range of medical disciplines including vascular, neuro, hepatobiliary, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, and oncologic interventions. Anaesthesia plays a vital role in ensuring procedural success, patient safety and comfort. Anaesthetic management in IR is challenging due to diverse procedures, patient comorbidities, and the remote location of IR suites. Approaches must be carefully tailored, ranging from local anaesthesia with sedation to general anaesthesia, based on procedure complexity and patient factors. Monitored anaesthesia care is common for minor procedures, while general anaesthesia for more complex or high risk interventions likeTrans arterial chemoembolization, Radiofrequency ablation, and neuro-interventions. Special considerations must be needed for paediatric, geriatric, and critically ill patients, Effective collaboration between the anaesthesiology and radiology teams is essential to overcome challenges such as limited access, radiation exposure, and the constraints of working in a non-operating room environment. Ensuring effective communication and planning enhances both procedural success and patient safety.