“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”
– Mahatma Gandhi
The responsibility in caring for children is on us all.
Interventional radiology is no exception. It's a rare practice where a pediatric patient doesn't fall on your doorstep one way or another. When they do, we want to do our best to care for these kids—much like we want the best for our own children or family members.
Although pediatric interventional radiology is a fast-growing and ever-expanding arm of specialty medicine, there are estimated to be fewer than 300 pediatric interventional radiologists worldwide. Part of this trend stems from lack of exposure to the subspecialty, and part of itis the nature of practice: pediatric IRs not only must have the imaging and procedural knowledge of their adult IR colleagues, but must adapt their knowledge, approach and even tools to fit the needs of a patient demographic that varies widely in weight, disease state and needs.
Within this special section of IR Quarterly, we look at different pediatric IR practices, delve into the spirit of collaboration and weigh the value of conservative treatment. This section not only highlights the quality of care provided by pediatric IRs but aims to spread awareness for those considering pediatric IR specialization, or those who find themselves caring for pediatric patients.
From radiation considerations to nonoperative management, pediatric IRs weigh multiple factors when approaching their cases, and work closely with multiple specialties to provide collaborative care—not just to children, but their whole family as well.
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1
Case presentation
Inside the case of a neonate patient with a pial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) that was draining into the vein of Galen.
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2
Practice profiles
Elliot Rinzler, MD, of UT Southwestern/Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Michael Acord, MD, of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia present their experience working in pediatric IR in two different practices.
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3
The collaborative spirit
Because of the ambiguity, broad range and scope of vascular anomalies, multiple specialists are often involved in treatment. Abhay Srinivasan, MD, discusses the benefits and structure of one of these pediatric collaborative models.
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4
The modality of play
Maddie Bozikis, licensed child life specialist, discusses how physicians and providers can help make pediatric patients feel calm, informed and comfortable in the medical environment.
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5
The pediatric pathway
Gulraiz Chaudry, MD, MBChB, FSIR shares the challenges and opportunities of the current pediatric training pathway.
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6
When to wait
Lisa Kang, MD, speaks with Aparna Annam, DO, and Shellie C. Josephs, MD, FSIR, on the new SIR position statement on endovascular trauma intervention for pediatric patients.
