The Division of Thoracic Imaging and Intervention provides a full range of diagnostic exams and image-guided interventions.

The division's diagnostic examinations include inpatient and outpatient chest radiography, computed tomography of the thorax, high-resolution chest CT, thoracic PET/CT and MRI of the thorax. The division also performs image-guided thoracic interventions, including transthoracic needle biopsy, fiducial placement and thermal image-guided tumor ablations.

The division conducts an active percutaneous needle biopsy service, including biopsies of the lung, mediastinum, pleura and chest wall both for diagnosis and cutting-edge molecular testing. The division also performs thermal ablation of primary lung tumors and metastases to lung and pleura in patients referred from thoracic surgery and medical thoracic oncology.

The division teaches the art and science of thoracic imaging and intervention to Harvard medical students, residents, fellows and visiting physicians. It also sponsors a biannual Harvard Medical School postgraduate CME course in chest imaging together with the Division of Thoracic Imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Areas of research within the division include advances in CT technology, CT dose reduction techniques, thoracic dual-energy CT, thoracic PET/CT, pulmonary nodule management, imaging of the post-operative patient and thoracic interventions, including image-guided tumor ablation.

More Information on Image-guided Tumor Ablation