Interventional radiology (IR) was born in the 1960s, but its institutional recognition was late and incomplete. IR is still the subject of turf wars between different medical disciplines and it is not clear if this field will one day become an independent medical specialty. The aim of this study is to analyze the diffusion process of the concept of "interventional radiology" using scientometric approach. The analysis of the history of the concept and its trends allows us to better understand how this medical field has attempted to institutionalize and to gain its autonomy.