[The intervention center at the Rikshospital. Experiences from the first year of activity]

In order to co-ordinate and promote the development of new clinical applications by structuring collaboration and communication across traditional specialty boundaries, a first of its kind hospital department was opened at Rikshospitalet in June 1996. The Interventional Centre is a multidisciplinary centre for research and development, teaching and quality management of imaging-guided minimally invasive therapy, endoscopic surgery and interventional radiology. The department is a full fusion of state-of-the art operating theatre with an advanced radiology department and with fully up-to-date ultrasound and endoscopy facilities for integrated use in the treatment of the patient. The department is cross-disciplinary organised. A small staff of 14 persons are responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre. Specialists from other hospital departments work together with the centre's permanent staff to develop new procedures. During the first year, 19 research projects were started and a total of 510 procedures performed within the fields of Radiology, Neurosurgery, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Cardiovascular surgery and Paediatric cardiology, and also within the fields of image processing and telecommunication.