SIR Connect is an invaluable resource for interventional radiologists that allows real time communication with and advice from IRs across the world—both renowned academics and private-practice experts. Before its launch, there was no resource I routinely relied on, let alone one looked at every single day. While I find reading the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology useful, like a textbook, one does not refer to it daily except when needed. Regardless of other resources used, whenever I am unsure about a difficult case or want additional advice, I ask society members SIR Connect. Personally, I’d be an SIR member just for SIR Connect, which would have been the stuff of fantasy less than 50 years ago. Having experts just a comment away is an incredible resource in an ever-changing, expanding and innovating world.
SIR Connect enables IRs to discuss, teach and seek help on all things radiology. For me, it is a way to see what others are doing and how they are doing it. Reading the breadth of topics in the morning and clicking on every post is something I look forward to, and I will always comment if I feel I can offer advice on procedural technique or see a hot-button nonclinical issue I feel strongly about.
When you start focusing on IR in residency as a trainee, you see all the different ways to perform a procedure. I have often seen an IR ask a question on SIR Connect and watched how the responses helped the original poster navigate the approach, see what already exists, piece together a technique, find advice and create a collaborative solution from everyone’s best input. My advice to IR trainees and forum lurkers is to just post your thoughts: odds are good that if you have a question or need advice, others do too. Surely, it will help a patient some time, which is a win–win situation.
I recall a time I honed my technique and learned to adapt from others on SIR Connect. When I started undertaking iliocaval reconstructions, it was extremely helpful to hear from experienced operators, especially regarding postoperative medical protocols. I initially had little knowledge about preferred devices and methods, but there were multiple SIR Connect posts on the topic. Postoperative anticoagulation protocols were also listed, which were very helpful. Frankly, I do not know how people perform these with standard wires and catheters, nor would I have the patience to do so for 4, 6 or even 8 hours. I arrived at a large sheath “snow-plow” and sharp recanalization technique very quickly. I learned that you can gauge things by 3-D mapping and studying the pre-operative CT. Thus, I always get a CT venogram.
One specific trick from SIR Connect that I have also found invaluable is when you arrive at a venous obstruction, do a very forceful injection. You will often see a hair-thin venous remnant blown open as the pathway. While uterine fibroid embolization and TIPS/PARTO are probably my favorite procedures to do, these reconstructions are unequivocally life-altering for patients and few things we do are as rewarding. That being said, one should know how to proceed before doing these, and SIR Connect can provide an avenue for that.
We all learn new things in our career. It’s important to know when not to try something alone, and SIR Connect is a valuable resource to turn to for remote advice. Much like my pathology teacher in medical school taught me: the eye does not see what the mind does not know. In IR, knowledge truly is power, and the best IRs are those who can think outside the box, innovate on the spot, and improve their practice on the basis of the knowledge and experience of others.
