by interventional radiology procedures during the pandemic is that because they can be performed as day-cases or require only an overnight hospitalization for observation, the exposure risk is much lower than surgery.
The established clinical indications for percutaneous ablation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients includes medically inoperable patients with early stage disease, painful rib metastasis, relapse in a previously irradiated field and chest wall invasion. 2, 3 Additionally, percutaneous ablation may be used as an adjunctive therapy for large-sized tumors not suitable for radiation therapy alone, as salvage therapy for stage III and IV recurrences within a previously irradiated field and as palliative therapy aiming in pain Workflow and routes of transport were re-organized so as to minimize the number of instances of contact between providers, staff and patients while maintaining procedural safety, efficacy and a comfortable patient experience. 12 Staff exposure is minimized by utilizing the minimum amount of required staff for performing the procedure. This includes a radiographer controller, a circulating nurse and two physicians, the primary operator and his assistant, who are designated to performing such procedures. To minimize the length of the procedure, the assistant is usually another specialist or a senior fellow and despite ours being an academic facility, educational and training has to be curtailed. Standard personal protection equipment precautions are utilized; with a properly fitted respirator or N95 mask, eye protection (goggles or face shield), disposable surgical gown and gloves utilized by the physicians and the circulating nurse (minus the surgical gown), while the technologist despite remaining isolated in the control room also uses a surgical mask. At the conclusion of the procedure patients remain in an isolated observation area or transferred for an overnight stay in a "clean" ward. Only a single caregiver is allowed and long periods of presence are discouraged. Appropriate distancing is practiced to the extent possible and only electronic communication with family members or caregivers is recommended. Consequently, adherence to this protocol has allowed us also to perform a number of interventional radiology procedures in lung cancer patients during the pandemic safely and successfully ( Figure 1 ).
In conclusion, for many physicians the changes imposed upon our practice reality by the Covid-19 pandemic has become a source of great distress, anxiety and angst. However, we have found solace pondering on the words of the famous Cretan novelist Nikos