After receiving a permit for construction last week, Woman’s Hospital is converting space on the second floor of its main hospital into an interventional radiology suite, which will allow patients to receive minimally invasive, image-based surgical procedures.
Previously, the hospital transferred patients who needed interventional radiology procedures to other Baton Rouge-area facilities. As the hospital’s patient base has grown, so has the need to offer the services itself, says Cynthia Rabalais, director of imaging.
“It’s like we’re at a point in our development that in order to meet needs of patients as interventional radiology continues to develop, we need to be able to provide services on campus, avoiding transfer of patients,” Rabalais says.
Interventional Radiology is a medical specialty that uses imaging to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures that diagnose and treat many conditions. The procedures, like stent insertions, can be less expensive, less painful and have fewer risks than traditional surgeries for some conditions.
The suite will be manned by four interventionalists associated with Woman’s Hospital and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. The $1.4 million construction work is expected to wrap up in December, with IR procedures beginning in early 2021.
