Question 26 from the second paper of 2012 and the identical Question 6 from the second paper of 2006 ask the trainee to discuss the role of interventional radiology. They may be at least as vague as the questions that asked about the role of ultrasound in critical care. The questions favoured a trainee who can come up with a structure for this question quickly, and spout a bunch of indications. The answer offered below divides the issue into therapeutic and diagnostic roles, and then discusses the limitations of interventional radiology as a whole. This sort of structure lends itself well to a tabulated format, which should be memorable and easily reproduced should such a question ever appear again.
| Application | Role | Advantages and Limitations |
| Generally |
|
|
| Diagnostic | Diagnosis of cerebral vasculitis | |
| Localisation of intestinal haemorrhage |
|
|
| Gold standard for confirmation of brain death |
|
|
| Therapeutic | Radiologically guided drainage |
|
| Coiling of aneurysms |
|
|
| Vasospasm vasodilation |
|
|
| TIPS procedures |
|
|
| Embolisation of bleeding vessels |
|
|
| Coronary intervention |
|
|
| IVC filter insertion |
|
|
| Vascular access |
|
|
Harris, K. G., et al. "Diagnosing intracranial vasculitis: the roles of MR and angiography." American journal of neuroradiology 15.2 (1994): 317-330.
Hunnam, G. R., and C. D. R. Flower. "Radiologically-guided percutaneous catheter drainage of empyemas." Clinical radiology 39.2 (1988): 121-126.
Nicolaou, Savvas, et al. "Ultrasound-guided interventional radiology in critical care." Critical care medicine 35.5 (2007): S186-S197.