• P R Mueller, S Biswal, E F Halpern, J A Kaufman, and M J Lee.
• Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
• Radiology. 2000 Jun 1; 215 (3): 684-8.

PurposeTo prospectively assess patient anxiety, understanding of the procedure being performed, perception of pain level, and satisfaction with medication given for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic vascular and visceral (nonvascular) interventional procedures.Materials And MethodsThe authors interviewed 204 patients before and after they underwent an interventional radiologic procedure. Patients responded to a series of questions by using a visual analog scale. Patients were grouped according to (a) their level of experience with the procedure and (b) the type of procedure performed (diagnostic or therapeutic visceral procedure or diagnostic or therapeutic vascular procedure).ResultsPatients who had previous experience with a procedure, whether visceral or vascular, were less anxious, had more understanding, and anticipated less pain than did those who did not have experience with a procedure. Patients who had only local anesthesia for visceral biopsy experienced greater pain than did those who had both local and intravenous anesthesia. Satisfaction scores, however, were similar throughout all groups.ConclusionPatients have a moderate amount of anxiety about interventional procedures and anticipate some discomfort. Most patients have a high level of satisfaction despite the amount of pain they experience during the procedure. Patients experienced with a procedure tend to have a greater understanding of the procedure and less anxiety.

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