Interventional radiology and cross sectional imaging in venous access.

The role of radiology and the interventional radiologist in the care of patients requiring long term venous access is expanding. This role includes multimodality imaging for anatomic evaluation, guided catheter placement or repositioning, and diagnosis and treatment of catheter occlusion or related venous thrombosis. Interventional procedures have been developed for relief of venous obstruction, repositioning of catheters, and placement of unconventional access devices.