THE NEW INTERVENTIONAL CENTER - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT CLINIC FOR INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY AND MINIMAL ACCESS SURGERY

The National Hospital wanted to coordinate and promote the development of new minimally invasive procedures by structuring collaboration and communication across traditional speciality boundaries. To achieve th is, a new hospital department has been established, a 'neutral ground' for working with such clinical applications in multi-disciplinary tea ms with surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists etc., individually compo sed for the type of intervention to be performed. The Interventional C entre also represents a full fusion of a modern radiology department w ith a stale-of-the-art operating department, securing the use of relev ant imaging technologies, aseptic conditions and options of converting any 'key-hole' procedure to open, conventional surgery within minutes . The Centre represents a new organizational model for such activities . It is also a technology centre, a common 'tool-box' securing better access and higher quality for the use of advanced radiological and sur gical technology in our hospital. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Lt d. All rights reserved.