Patients often experience a lot of fear and trepidation upon hearing they require surgery. But, what if there were a minimally invasive alternative—one that treats the medical problem in a minimally invasive manner, reduces pain, requires minimal down time, and can often be performed in an out-patient facility? Luckily, for many patients this alternate approach exists in Central Oregon.
“Interventional radiology is a high-tech problem-solving specialty,” says Dr. Garrett Schroeder, an interventional radiologist with Central Oregon Radiology Associates (CORA), the largest medical imaging company in both Central and Eastern Oregon. “What we do is specialize in minimally-invasive image-guided medical procedures. Most of what we do is often accomplished through a small needle starting at the groin or at the wrist using the blood vessels as a map to reach wherever we need to go in the body with medical imaging,” says Dr. Schroeder. These procedures can treat issues from strokes in the brain to opening up blood vessels in the feet. “Some of the common things we treat in the outpatient setting are uterine fibroids, varicoceles, spine fractures, varicose veins, peripheral vascular disease, and venous disease,” he says. “We also collaborate with oncologists and provide cancer therapies.”
Dr. Schroeder is very excited about two newer options patients living in Bend now have to treat medical problems that tend to plague an aging population. “We are now able to treat enlarged prostates, which is a common problem among the retirement-age group. This procedure is called Prostate Artery Embolization [PAE], it relieves many of the common symptoms associated with this condition. We performed the first PAE procedure in Oregon right here in Bend and I’m really proud of that,” he says. The other is a new way to treat pain associated with arthritis in the knees. The treatment, called Geniculate Artery Embolization, reduces the amount of blood flow to the inflamed portions of the knee that are causing pain.
CORA has five experienced and highly trained interventional radiologists on staff. “We have an excellent team,” he says. “The physicians’ expertise here is unmatched when it comes to this type of therapy, and we all have the tools needed.” The office staff, from the people who schedule appointments on the phone to the ones who greet you when you walk in the door, are, as Dr. Schroeder describes, “Extremely knowledgeable, friendly and efficient.”
To increase the availability of care, CORA recently opened an outpatient facility for interventional services on the west side of Bend. “Before, we did every procedure in the hospital. Now we are now able to accommodate many patients on an out-patient basis, which has been critical during the COVID pandemic” says Dr. Schroeder.
The biggest challenge with interventional radiology is that many patients and medical providers outside of radiology aren’t always aware of these non-surgical alternatives, says the doctor. “I always encourage patients to be advocates for their own care and ask their doctors about all treatment options,” he says. “Ask if there is an interventional option.”
Vascular Interventional Specialists of CORA
1475 SW Chandler Drive Ste 202
Bend, Oregon 97702
541.382.6633
VISofCora.com