Local Anaesthesia & Conscious Sedation

Key Facts at a Glance

Used for longer procedures, TACE, Y90, vascular access

Overview

The vast majority of interventional radiology procedures at Cochin AP-HP are performed under local anaesthesia — with or without conscious sedation. This means you remain awake (or lightly sedated) throughout the procedure, breathe independently, and recover quickly — allowing same-day discharge in most cases.

General anaesthesia is reserved for specific procedures requiring deep immobility or patient comfort: cryoablation of solid tumours, venous recanalisation, some complex embolizations. When GA is required, our patients are managed by the anaesthetic team of Cochin AP-HP within the same interventional suite.

Types of anaesthesia used

💉 Local anaesthesia only

Lidocaine injection at the skin puncture site. Patient fully awake. Used for: biopsies, PICC lines, most embolizations, angioplasty, varicocele, prostate, fibroids.

😴 Conscious sedation

IV anxiolytic ± light analgesic. Patient sleepy but rousable. Used for: longer procedures, anxious patients, TACE, Y90, vascular access.

🌡️ General anaesthesia

Full GA with intubation or LMA. Required for: cryoablation of tumours, venous recanalisation, complex vascular procedures.

📋 Teleconsultation with anaesthetist

For procedures requiring GA, a pre-anaesthetic teleconsultation is mandatory. Prescription of blood tests and treatment adjustments (anticoagulants, metformin).

→ IR overview → Vascular access

🇫🇷 This page is also available in French: anesthesie-locale-sedation-consciente.html

Why this page is trustworthy

Written by the Interventional Radiology team at Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Université Paris Cité. Medically reviewed by an interventional radiologist of the department. Last updated: August 2026.

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Local Anaesthesia & Conscious Sedation in Interventional Radiology