"Healing Without Incisions (IVR)" Experienced Firsthand by Junior High Students — Free Event in Kumamoto

The Japan Society of Interventional Radiology (JSIR) will hold an "IVR Experience Class" for junior high school students at the Kumamoto Prefectural Citizens' Exchange Hall PALETTE on Saturday, May 23, 2026, coinciding with the 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Interventional Radiology (Kumamoto).

IVR (Interventional Radiology) is a medical technology that treats diseases using thin instruments such as catheters and needles, guided by images from X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound. Since it does not require large incisions like surgical operations, it is attracting attention as a minimally invasive and "body-friendly treatment" for patients, with less bleeding and pain, and very rapid post-operative recovery. It also offers significant advantages from a medical economic perspective, such as shortening patient hospital stays and enabling early return to society, and is widely used in various fields including cancer, vascular diseases, and trauma. In recent years, with the challenge of fostering future healthcare providers, this program serves as a valuable career education opportunity for junior high school students aspiring to become doctors, and contributes to nurturing personnel who will support future medical care. In this experience class, under the guidance of specialists, students can learn the concepts and basic operations of IVR through an educational experience program, partly using instruments actually used in medical settings.

(Scene from last year's experience class)

[Examples of experiences available]

- Catheter operation (experience using models, etc.)
- Experience operations performed while viewing ultrasound images
- Simulated experience assuming intravascular treatment (such as techniques to widen blood vessels) and others.

*All of these are educational experience programs and not actual medical treatments.

IVR Experience Class Overview

Date & Time: Saturday, May 23, 2026, 13:30〜17:30 (Group system)

13:30〜14:30 IVR Class (Group A)

14:30〜15:30 Public Lecture for Citizens (All participants)

15:30〜16:30 IVR Class (Group B)

16:30〜17:30 IVR Class (Group C)

*Please note that group assignments (A, B, C) will be decided by lottery.

*Regardless of the experience group, all participants (including guardians) must attend the Public Lecture for Citizens.

Venue: Kumamoto Prefectural Citizens' Exchange Hall PALETTE 9F Conference Room 1

Target: Junior high school students (Guardians must accompany)

Participation Fee: Free (Pre-registration required)

Number of Recruits: To be announced sequentially on the special page (First-come, first-served basis)

Application Deadline: Registration closes once capacity is reached.

Information Page: https://www.jsir.or.jp/kaiin/oshirase2/

Organizer: Japan Society of Interventional Radiology

Held concurrently: Public Lecture for Citizens (General public)

"The Forefront of Catheter Medicine that Heals Without Incisions"

Date & Time: Saturday, May 23, 2026, 14:30〜15:30

Venue: Kumamoto Prefectural Citizens' Exchange Hall PALETTE 10F PALETTE Hall

Participation Fee: Free (No pre-registration required)

Past Event Achievements

IVR Experience Classes were held in 2024 (Wakayama) and 2025 (Tokyo), both receiving high evaluations from participants.

(From the 2025 participant survey results)

[About IVR]

IVR (Interventional Radiology) is an abbreviation for Interventional Radiology, a treatment method that uses thin instruments such as catheters and needles to treat diseases while visualizing the inside of the body with imaging diagnostic devices such as X-rays, CT, and ultrasound. It does not require cutting the abdomen or chest like surgical operations, making it a "body-friendly treatment" for patients. It realizes minimally invasive medicine with less bleeding and pain, and rapid post-operative recovery, thereby reducing the burden on patients. Its indications extend to a wide range of fields throughout the body, including cancer treatment, vascular diseases, hemostasis for acute bleeding, and trauma. IVR, which enables shorter hospital stays and early return to society, not only improves patients' quality of life (QOL) but also plays an indispensable role as a next-generation treatment method that contributes to the optimization of future medical costs.

[About the Japan Society of Interventional Radiology]

The Japan Society of Interventional Radiology (JSIR), established on January 1, 1995, and incorporated as a general incorporated association in 2005, is a sub-specialty society of the Japan Medical Association. Its main objectives are the development of IVR technology, research collaboration with domestic and international partners, and public awareness. Chairman: Koichiro Yamado (Hyogo Medical University). Website: https://www.jsir.or.jp/

[About the 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Interventional Radiology]

Conference Name: The 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Interventional Radiology

Theme: To be proud as a professional

Website: https://jsir2026.umin.jp/

Period: May 21 (Thursday) - 2