Clinical interventional radiology: parallels with the evolution of general surgery.

Parallels between the evolution of surgery into an accepted clinical specialty and changes in the practice of interventional radiology (IR) have been drawn. Technical advances have mandated a change in the role of interventional radiologists from diagnostic radiologist to that of the treating physician. The development of "modern" IR is an accelerated repetition of the evolution of "modern" clinical surgery. The resistance or delay of some to accept IR as a clinical specialty is a duplication of the resistance to accept surgery as a clinical specialty by medicine in general. It is clearly time to understand that the benefits the interventional radiologist brings to the patient far exceed his ability to synthesize imaging data with catheter skills. Those of us who have accepted this can take some comfort in the fact that we now tread a path already proven in its destination.