Vascular & Interventional Radiologists of Northern Alberta

VIRNA FAQs

Talk your Doctor about treatment options. Your Doctor can then send us a ‘Consult referral request’. Our VIRNA staff will review the request and if approved, be in contact with you regarding your appointment. Sometimes more imaging tests like CT’s or MR’s will be ordered prior to your appointment with us.

YES! All visits to us at the Century Park Clinic and procedures done within our partner hospitals are covered by Alberta Health Care.  The one exception to this is varicose vein treatments, these are not covered by Alberta Health Care and are available through the MIC Vein Clinic.

Although there are risks associated with any procedure, most Interventional Radiology procedures fall at the low end of the scale. Your Radiologist will go over in detail with you all the risks and potential complications associated with your particular procedure.

Recovery time for IR procedures are considerably shorter than conventional surgical treatments. Patients are able to resume their pre-procedure activities 2 -3 days post procedure, however extended healing may take longer.

This varies by the procedure, but most are done through a day admission, where patients will go home 4-6 hours after their procedure. The main exception is Uterine Artery Embolization Patients who will stay overnight.

Although there may be some discomfort with your treatment, your Interventional Radiologist can prescribe medications at the time to keep you comfortable during the procedure. You will be given local freezing at the site and mild sedation and pain killers as necessary to help keep you comfortable.

The specific equipment used in these procedures varies, but usually will include X-Ray, Ultrasound and a selection of catheters and guidewires. These are usually smaller than a pencil lead and cause very minimal damage to the vessels. Some catheters have balloons embedded in them to help open up the vessels, and others can deliver stents which can help to hold a part of the vessel open to allow for better blood flow.

All procedures are done through a small nick in the skin about the size of the tip of a pen. As a result, scarring is usually minimal or insignificant, especially compared with traditional surgical procedures.