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The role of interventional radiology in palliative care of malignant disease
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 May 2008
Extract
Providing symptomatic palliation in terminal malignant disease is integral to high-quality elderly-care medicine. Effective pharmacological treatment, especially pain relief, is the mainstay of palliative care, but physical intervention is sometimes required to relieve mechanical problems. Interventional radiology is rapidly evolving and there are many clinical situations in which it is indicated. It is as effective as open surgery, but without the risk of general anaesthesia and surgical morbidity. Most interventional radiology procedures can be performed with a much shorter hospital stay than the alternative surgical procedure, and often as a day case admission. Reducing hospital stay and recovery time is of great importance to the older patient who may have a short life expectancy because of the cancer and co-morbidities.
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- Clinical geriatrics
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009
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