About Dr Florescu
Dr. Cosmin Florescu is an Interventional Radiologist who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2004. He completed his internship and a residency year at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Following a year long hiatus travelling and doing a short term of volunteer work in Samoa he commenced his post graduate training in the medical speciality of Radiology at Monash Health. He continued at Monash Health, completing a fellowship year in Interventional Radiology and subsequently obtained formal subspecialty qualifications, becoming a member of the European Board of Interventional Radiology (EBIR).
Dr. Cosmin Florescu currently holds public appointments as an Interventional Radiologist in both St. Vincent’s Hospital Fitzroy and Monash Health. He has a broad interest and experience with interventional techniques, in particular endovascular therapy such as embolizations, vascular access and stenting. He consults privately with the aim of offering patients access to evidence based alternative procedures for a variety of medical problems.
If you would like to refer a patient or would like to seek an opinion regarding your treatment options please email us on admin@mipv.com.au to book an appointment.
What is Interventional Radiology?
Interventional Radiologists are medical specialists who perform complex procedures using image guidance. These are often alternatives to more invasive surgical solutions and in some cases offer a remedy to problems which cannot be addressed with other techniques. Becoming an interventional radiologist generally takes around 14 or more years of rigorous training including completing medical school, undergoing specialist training as a radiologist (5 years minimum) and subsequent subspecialty training in interventional radiology.
Interventional Radiologists perform angiograms in every organ and using specially designed equipment such as balloons or stents to open up previously blocked blood vessels, bile ducts and ureters amongst others. Alternatively, coils, microparticles or even specially designed liquid agents can be used to turn off blood supply in cases of severe bleeding or to starve tumours, vascular malformations or shrink organs which have become overgrown. A range of devices including ports and permacaths may be inserted to allow for chemotherapy or dialysis. Some of these procedures and techniques are very similar to the coronary angiograms and pacemaker insertions performed by cardiologists that you may be more familiar with.
In addition to angiographic based procedures CT or ultrasound guidance may be used to biopsy lesions, drain abscesses, burn or freeze tumours and inject painful joints and nerves. The techniques are minimally invasive with the vast majority of procedures requiring small skin incisions of approximately 3mm or less and quicker recovery times when compared to surgery.
The scope of image guided procedures has exploded over the last few decades, spurred by ever improving technology and equipment which has enabled Interventional Radiologists to perform increasingly intricate procedures. Technical prowess however has also been backed by a growing body of medical evidence backing the efficacy of a variety of interventional techniques. Notable examples include fibroid embolization and treatment of acute stroke for clot retrieval, both of which are supported by multiple scientific papers proving their efficacy.
