Vascular & Interventional Radiology is a division of radiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI.
The Vascular & Interventional Radiology (VIR) Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin practices within the Froedtert Health system in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our faculty currently consists of seven full-time fellowship-trained, CAQ Board Certified Interventional Radiologists and three full-time Nurse Practitioners.
We have a well-rounded clinical practice covering the full spectrum of interventional radiology procedures. We have an active outpatient clinical practice where we see approximately 140 patients monthly. Our outpatients are seen in the VIR Clinic located on the 4th floor of the Center for Advanced Care building, and in our VIR Oncology Clinic located on the 2nd floor of the Clinical Cancer Center in the Courage Clinic. All patients are evaluated by faculty physicians in clinic and may be presented at multidisciplinary clinical conference to determine the best possible course of action for the patient.
Our practice has many unique qualities, not the least of which is its relationship with the Division of Vascular Surgery. This relationship allows for the collegial combined medical and procedural care of patients with vascular disease. We have two hybrid operating rooms that allow us to perform combined vascular surgery/interventional radiology procedures such as endovascular aortic aneurysm repair in an operating room setting, while maintaining high quality imaging.
We perform all other diagnostic and therapeutic IR procedures with the exception of cardiac catheterizations and neuro-interventions. Examples of such IR procedures include visceral and renal angiography as well as lower extremity revascularization procedures including thrombolysis, angioplasty and stenting. We also perform procedures such as inferior vena cava filter placement and retrieval, Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS), musculoskeletal interventions and uterine fibroid embolization. We are one of the few sites in the nation performing imaging guided focused ultrasound procedures, which is currently offered for palliation of painful bone metastases and uterine fibroids.
We have developed a very active interventional oncology service providing primary patient-centered evaluation and image-guided therapies including chemoembolization, TheraSphere and SIR-Sphere radioembolizations, Drug Eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization (DEB-TACE), radiofrequency and microwave ablation and cryoablation procedures.
Our division is fully integrated with the other subspecialties within the Department of Radiology such as digital imaging, chest and GI radiology. We have an active nonvascular service which performs all percutaneous liver procedures including transhepatic cholangiography, biliary drainage, biliary/ductal dilatation/stenting, and percutaneous genitourinary procedures.
At the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology is active in clinical research trials with enrollment in several clinical trials. We have a dedicated research coordinator that helps recruit for and run these trials. Because research is so critical to the advancement of our specialty, one of our seven faculty member spends 50% of her time on research endeavors.
Mission: The MCW Department of Radiology will provide the highest quality, cutting edge, patient centered diagnostic and interventional services, perform internationally recognized research to advance patient care, and educate excellent clinicians and radiologists.
Vision: The MCW Department of Radiology will be a leading patient care provider of diagnostic and interventional services. We will:
Deliver high quality, value-added, subspecialty clinical care.
Develop and advance basic science, translational and clinical research.
Provide outstanding training programs and become a destination of educational excellence.
