Report on the symposium organized in Antwerp on 23.05.2013: new milestones in vascular interventions

Abstract

During the last decade, we have witnessed nothing short of a revolution in angiography and vascular (neuro)interventional radiology. Developments in technology and equipment have opened a fascinating world of near-limitless possibilities. Minimally invasive endovascular treatments have been developed and optimized for numerous indications where, previously, open surgery was the only option. Thanks to the implementation of new angiographic equipment and new materials (such as stents, coils, catheters, etc.), we are now able to treat patients with less invasive means. In order to deal with complex vascular lesions, multidisciplinary teams (with active participation of various medical specialists) have found their way to the angiography suite and vascular intervention unit, which has become a viable alternative to the operating room (OR). This has led to a significant increase in the number of vascular procedures and interventions performed in the department of radiology.