Prof. Vincent Vidal

Head of Interventional Radiology · Timone University Hospital · company speakers →

Professor Vincent Vidal is Head of Interventional Radiology at Timone University Hospital in Marseille, France, and Professor of Radiology at the Faculty of Medicine of Aix-Marseille University. He also serves as Director of the Experimental Interventional Imaging Laboratory (LIIE), a translational research unit dedicated to image-guided therapies and innovative endovascular technologies. Professor Vidal earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. from Aix-Marseille University. Early in his career, he developed a strong international academic foundation through research and clinical fellowships in Canada, including a research fellowship at the University of Toronto and combined clinical and research fellowships at the University of Montreal (2003–2004). These formative experiences shaped his long-term commitment to innovation, academic collaboration, and the global development of interventional radiology. His clinical and research activities focus primarily on embolization, with particular interest in developing safer, more accessible, and biologically compatible embolic materials. Over the past decade, he has introduced three innovative concepts that reflect this vision. The first, Emborrhoid, is a minimally invasive technique involving embolization of the superior rectal arteries for the treatment of hemorrhoidal disease. This approach has contributed to expanding the therapeutic spectrum of endovascular management in benign pathology and has gained international recognition. The second concept, FairEmbo, explores embolization using permanent and absorbable sutures as low-cost embolic agents. Designed to address disparities in access to interventional radiology, FairEmbo represents an effort to adapt advanced techniques to resource-limited settings while maintaining safety and efficacy standards. The third innovation, Embobio, introduces organic embolization using a novel agar-agar–based embolic agent. This research reflects Professor Vidal’s broader interest in biologically derived and environmentally responsible medical technologies, aiming to improve biocompatibility while reducing the ecological footprint of implantable devices. Beyond technological innovation, Professor Vidal is deeply engaged in structuring and strengthening interventional radiology at both national and international levels. He serves as President of the Fédération de Radiologie Interventionnelle (FRI) within the French Society of Radiology (SFR), where he actively contributes to the organization, recognition, and strategic development of interventional radiology in France. Internationally, he leads the FairEmbo team, dedicated to advancing interventional radiology in emerging countries across Western and Central Africa through sustainable training models and institutional partnerships. He is also the initiator of IRIS (International Radiology in Space), a multidisciplinary initiative exploring the adaptation of interventional radiology techniques for autonomous care during long-duration space missions. IRIS aims to prepare medical technologies for lunar missions, serving as test platforms for future interplanetary missions, including Mars. Importantly, these innovations are designed not only for space exploration but also for translation back to Earth, where they may benefit isolated territories and medically underserved regions requiring autonomous and minimally invasive care. Professor Vidal is an active member of major international societies, including the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), and the European Society of Radiology (ESR). Through his clinical practice, research leadership, and institutional and international initiatives, he promotes a vision of interventional radiology that is innovative, structured, globally accessible, and future-oriented.

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