Neurological Intervention & Imaging Service of WA (NIISwa)

The Neurological Intervention and Imaging Service of WA (NIISwa) is the statewide, cross-campus neurointerventional and advanced neuroimaging service of Western Australia.

We are the first specialist neuroradiology department established in Australasia, headquartered at SCGH, and serve the entire Western Australian population of approximately 2.6 million people. Services are also provided at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH), Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) and Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH).

We provide in-patient care and clinic out-patient services for treatment of vascular disease of the brain, head, neck and spine. These include:

Neurointerventional

  • The state service for elective and acute endovascular treatment for intracranial (brain) aneurysms and neuraxial (brain and spinal) vascular malformations
  • The 24-hour state service for interventional stroke therapy
  • Endovascular treatment for craniocervical vascular stenotic diseases, including carotid stenosis, vertebral stenosis, and intracranial dural venous sinus stenosis causing intracranial hypertension
  • Emergency endovascular embolization for craniocervical haemorrhage
  • Adjunctive transvascular devascularization for craniocervicospinal tumours
  • Treatment of chronic subdural haematoma by embolization
  • Assessment and treatment of paediatric neurovascular conditions

 

Neurodiagnostic

  • Specialist expertise in tertiary and quaternary level neurological imaging and diagnosis for brain, head and neck and spinal disease at SCGH, RPH, PMH and KEMH
  • Neurovascular perfusion imaging
  • Comprehensive Transcranial Doppler (TCD) service, including transcranial Doppler right to left shunt studies
  • Acute carotid doppler service
  • Functional MR imaging especially in tumour and epilepsy evaluation
  • Advanced Neuro Imaging techniques in MR and CT

 

Percutaneous/Spinal

  • Comprehensive CSF leak management service (imaging workup, targeted patching and follow-up)
  • Provides full range of percutaneous spinal procedures including vertebral augmentation (vertebroplasty), biopsy, lumbar punctures, facet and nerve root sleeve injections, epidural injections and myelography
  • Provides full range of percutaneous head and neck procedures including complex biopsy
  • Assessment and treatment of peripheral vascular anomalies and treatment of pulmonary AVMs

 

NIISwa comes from a long pedigree of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology.

The first endovascular procedure for treatment of a brain arteriovenous malformation was performed in the Royal Perth Hospital Radiology Department in 1979. The interventional service was one of two to receive Federal funding as a Specialist Interventional Unit in Australia to formally evaluate the efficacy of endovascular treatment of neurovascular diseases. With newer developments in technology and skills, endovascular treatment has become available to other conditions. Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms has been provided by the interventional neuroradiology service since 1992, and endovascular treatment of strokes since 2009.

NIISwa was commenced on July 1 2007 as the first specialist Neuroradiology Department in Australasia, amalgamating the Neuroradiology staff and services at Royal Perth Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital into one, state-wide department. In 2016 NIISwa commenced providing neurointerventional services at Fiona Stanley Hospital, to allow better access to patients in Perth’s southern suburbs.

NIISwa has grown to become one of the most comprehensive neurointerventional services in Australia and continues a long tradition of training subspecialist Fellows from around the world.

Last Updated: 20/06/2024