Phone: 757-388-3401
Many conditions and injuries that once required open surgery can now be treated with minimally invasive procedures which can result in less pain and a faster recovery for you. The interventional radiology physicians at our Vascular and Interventional Center (SVIC) combine advanced technologies with minimally invasive imaging to diagnose and treat a wide spectrum of conditions. The doctors often use just a small needle or catheter to perform the entire procedure.
Interventional radiology encompases diagnostic and treatment procedures performed using image-guided technology to enable doctors to see inside your body during procedures. Some of the imaging techniques we use include ultrasound, X-ray and CT and MRI scans.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH) is the only Level I Trauma Center, Quaternary Care Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center in the Tidewater area. SNGH is also a teaching hospital which means cutting edge research is being performed while training the next generation of physicians. We are proud to offer the Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) fellowship program at our institution.
All of the Interventional Radiologists are board certified physicians with additional specialized training in their field. They are Assistant Professors at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and regularly give lectures to residents, medical students and physicians throughout the community. Choosing to have your care here means you are receiving the best treatment possible by experienced fellowship-trained physicians and an established care team.
Services Available
- Minimally invasive image-guided treatment for blockages in the bile ducts
- Procedures performed:
- Biliary drainage, biliary stents, biliary biopsy, gall bladder drainage
- We treat many types of cancer, particularly liver, lung and kidney cancer, with minimally invasive treatments and state-of-the-art minimally technology.
- Therapeutic:
- Bland embolization: A catheterization procedure that injects tiny particles into a liver artery to block blood supply to liver tumors
- Radioembolization: A catheterization procedure that combines radiation therapy and embolization, using tiny beads coated with radioactive particles to block blood flow and deliver radiation to a tumor
- Chemoembolization: A combination of chemotherapy and embolization that delivers tiny particles coated with anticancer drugs via a catheter into an artery feeding a tumor
- Microwave ablation: A needle procedure that uses microwaves to generate extreme heat to destroy tumor tissue
- Cryoablation: A procedure that uses a thin probe to create extreme cold to freeze and destroy tumor tissue
- Radiofrequency ablation: A procedure that uses needle electrodes to deliver electrical currents that destroy cancer cells with extreme heat
- Supportive:
- We help patients through the entire cancer process, from the initial diagnosis, to treatment as well as supportive care during treatment.
- Procedures performed:
- Biopsy: Our specialists use advanced techniques using a needle guided by ultrasound or X-ray to remove small samples of tissue. Doctors then study the samples under a microscope to look for signs of disease such as cancer. During the procedure, our pathologists make sure that we have taken enough biopsies so you don't have to come back for another procedure.
- Port catheter placement: Our specialists implant a small access device under the skin for people undergoing cancer treatment to reduce discomfort and prevent infection. A chemotherapy port enables the cancer care team to administer chemotherapy through the port to avoid a new vein stick at each treatment.
- Pleurex catheter placement
- Paracentesis or thoracentesis
- Portal vein embolization
- PICC line placement
- Tunneled central venous line placement
- Percutaneous biliary drainage
- Cirrhosis is a chronic condition that can be caused by a variety of factors. It is an end-stage disease for the liver which can put a person at risk for cancer, fluid in the abdomen, or bleeding. Our team has extensive experience treating problems arising from cirrhosis.
- Procedures performed:
- Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS): This minimally invasive procedure relieves pressure in the vessels to help reduce the risk of internal bleeding for people with liver disease. Our doctors create new connections between blood vessels in the liver using a shunt (small tube).
- Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO): Our doctors treat or reduce the risk of bleeding in the stomach with this procedure, which blocks dilated blood vessels that may otherwise burst. We may use BRTO in combination with the TIPS procedure.
- Paracentesis
- Liver biopsy
- Gastrostomy tubes, gastrojejunostomy tubes, cecostomy tubes
- Kidney biopsy, kidney drains, suprapubic catheters
- Prostate artery embolization, varicocele
- Venous sampling: As part of a diagnostic workup, blood samples from specific veins might need to be collected via a tiny catheter to guide treatment in certain diseases. Some examples include Adrenal Vein Sampling or Parathyoid Vein Sampling.
- Abscess drainage: A fluid collection in the body that can be drain out through a small tube instead of requiring a major surgery for treatment
- We treat a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions.
- Procedures performed:
- Kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty: Spine fractures can be extremely painful. Our physicians are experienced in treating vertebral compression fractures with minimally-invasive techniques. This will allow you to heal faster and have improved mobility.
- Epidural steroid injection or nerve root injection: Nerve inflammation from arthritis in the spine is another common source of back pain which can be treated by injecting numbing medication asteroids around the nerve
- Celiac plexus block: Chronic upper abdominal pain from cancer or vascular diseases
- Kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty, celiac block, epidural steroid injections (ESI), nerve root injection
- Osteoid osteoma ablation
- Biopsies, drains, lymphatic malformation treatment, osteoid osteoma ablation, AVMs
- Chest tube, lung nodule biopsy, pulmonary AVM embolization, thoracentesis
- When blood flow to the brain is interrupted, leaks or ruptures, quick diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death. These emergencies can present as blood clot to the brain, bleeding in the brain due to ruptured brain aneurysm and or arteriovenous malformation. Sentara Norfolk General Hospital is a Comprehensive Stroke Center, meeting the highest, nationally recognized standards for immediate stroke care. Our teams are subspecialty trained to quickly locate and treat cerebrovascular emergencies for the best possible outcomes. We also specialize in elective treatment of similar incidentally discovered conditions.
- Procedures performed:
- Thrombolytic and thrombectomy therapy for stroke
- Angioplasty/stenting
- Brain aneurysm endovascular treatment
- Brain AVM treatment
- Cerebral angiography
- Acute internal bleeding, chest tubes, abscess drainage
- Pre or post-surgical embolization for bleeding
- Medicine port (Mediport or Port-a-cath) placement
- Tunneled central venous catheter
- PICC line
- Apheresis catheter placement
- We can treat pelvic pain or heavy bleeding caused by uterine fibroids which are noncancerous muscular growths in the uterus resulting in ongoing pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and difficulty becoming pregnant. Pelvic congestion syndrome can be another source of chronic pelvic pain. This condition occurs when varicose veins develop in the pelvic region and often affects women after giving birth.
- Procedures performed:
- Uterine artery embolization
- Pelvic congestion syndrome treatment
Additional Information
Interventional radiologists have extensive training and must show expertise in radiation safety, radiation physics, the biological effects of radiation and radiation injury prevention. The physicians providing services through our Interventional Radiology center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital are each board-certified by the American Board of Radiology and hold a subspecialty board-certification. They specialize in the minimally invasive treatments of kidney cancers and primary and metastatic liver cancers, as well as the treatment of uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion and varicoceles.
Harlan L. Vingan, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Program Director, Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) Fellowship
Dr. Vingan is dual board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology. In addition to offering a full range of interventional services, his area of expertise is Interventional Oncology . He is a founding member of the Society of Interventional Oncology and started the Interventional Radiology program at Sentara Norfolk General.
Phillip Luebbert, MD, RPVI
Assistant Professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Dr. Luebbert is dual board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology. He has performed more vertebral augmentations than any other physician in the Tidewater area. His special interests include vertebral augmentation and sacroplasty. He is also an expert in the interpretation and treatment of venous disease.
Christopher J. Dobzyniak, MD, RPVI
Assistant Professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Chief of Interventional Radiology
Medical Director, Interventional Radiology at Sentara Norfolk General
Dr. Dobzyniak is dual board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology. He has a specific interest in Interventional Oncology , including minimally invasive treatments of kidney cancers and primary and metastatic liver cancers . He specializes in the treatment of uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion and varicoceles.
Adam C. Lustig, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Medical Director, Interventional Radiology at Sentara Leigh
Dr. Lustig is dual board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology. He is one of the only physicians in the Tidewater area with specialized training in Prostate Artery Embolization. He has a specific interest in Interventional Oncology, including minimally invasive treatments of kidney cancers and primary and metastatic liver cancers. Additionally, he specializes in treatment of uterine fibroids with embolization and vertebral compression fractures with kyphoplasty.
John Agola, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School
Chief of Neurointerventional Radiology
Medical Director of Stroke, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Dr. Agola is board-certified by the American Board of Radiology. He specializes in cerebral angiography, endovascular treatment of brain/spinal cord aneurysms and AVMs, endovascular cerebrovascular reconstruction, percutaneous sclerotherapy of congenital veno-lymphatic malformations, percutaneous vertebral stabilization with vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty and diagnostic neuroradiology.
Our Nursing, Tech & Support Team
In addition to our quality physicians, our team includes physician assistants, neuro-interventional radiology techs, registered cardio-vascular specialists, specialized nurses and medical assistants. The entire team works closely together, as well as with other providers on a patient’s broader care team, communicating and collaborating on behalf of each patient to ensure the best care is delivered.
If you’d like to learn more about our services or ask a question about our care team and what to expect during treatment, we are here to help you become as informed and comfortable as possible!
Give us a call at 757-388-3401 or send an email to our program Director, Hope Wolfe, MSN, RN. Email us now!