[Urologic importance of interventional radiology techniques]

In radiology several therapeutical methods were developed and introduced into clinical routine in the last 10 to 15 years. In part these techniques are in competition with established surgical procedures although their main advantage is significantly less invasion. For the urologist diagnostic radiological procedures like selective blood sampling from renal or suprarenal vessels for hormone determination or CT-guided biopsy of retroperitoneal tumors are of special interest as well as procedures with therapeutic aims such as placement of drainage-tubes, percutaneous therapy of varicoceles and arterial endovascular interventions for hemorrhage or vascular wall stenosis. The role of these interventional techniques relevant for urology is described and critically discussed.