UW Health Kids began treating patients in June in a new interventional radiology suite at American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, the hospital's first facility dedicated to the specialty for pediatric patients. It will handle both inpatient and outpatient procedures.
Interventional radiology uses imaging modalities such as MRI, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and CT to guide minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Eric Monroe, a pediatric interventional radiologist at UW Health Kids and professor of radiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said such procedures allow for precise, less invasive treatment and typically faster recovery for young patients.
Room design and imaging technology
The suite is built around GE HealthCare's Allia Moveo, an imaging system with a C-arm and AI-supported guidance mounted at the center of the room. According to Monroe, the design allows the system to be moved around the patient rather than the reverse, which is intended to accommodate different body sizes and make the room feel less confining for children. The suite also includes 3D imaging and navigation tools.
Per the hospital, the installation is:
- The fourth Allia Moveo suite worldwide currently used for patient care
- The first such installation globally dedicated to pediatric interventional radiology
- Planned for use in both clinical care and research, according to Monroe
GE HealthCare has a long-standing relationship with UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Expected impact on procedure volume and access
Monroe said the suite is expected to double the number of interventional radiology procedures performed annually at the hospital. "When I got here in 2021, we did about 300 interventional radiology procedures per year, and now we're up to 800," he said. "But we still saw delays or patients going elsewhere because we didn't have the space to care for the volume of patients we would have liked to."
The move is also expected to free up space previously shared with the pediatric interventional cardiology team, expanding access to pediatric heart care, and to shift some procedures out of the operating rooms, increasing surgical capacity. "There are many procedures that can be done in interventional radiology or in the operating room," Monroe said. "Now our surgeons will have more capacity for the patients who need their specific expertise and the operative environment."
The new suite gives American Family Children's Hospital dedicated infrastructure for pediatric interventional radiology, with the hospital citing expected gains in procedure capacity, space for cardiology and surgical services, and support for ongoing research.
Source: UW Health
