Radiologists lose angioplasty, stent procedure volume to cardiologists and surgeons

December 5, 2008 DiagnosticImaging.com. Radiologists lose angioplasty, stent procedure volume to cardiologists and surgeons By Donna Domino As percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement replaces bypass surgery in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, cardiologists and surgeons now are performing far more of the procedures than radiologists, according to research presented Thursday at the RSNA meeting. A study using Medicare databases for 1996 through 2006 showed that the number of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent procedures increased by 213% (from 240 to 751 per 100,000 patients) in that time. During the same decade, bypass surgery saw a 47% decline (from 321 to 170).

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