Paediatric IR
We are a dynamic and enthusiastic group of IRs, focussed on improving healthcare for children, supporting IRs around the UK who’d like advice and input, and inspiring the next generation of PIRs. Thank you for finding us here. If you are curious about what paediatric IR is all about or have a challenging case you’d like to talk through, get in touch by email (below). Opportunities for collaboration, learning and taster weeks are listed further down on this page.
Introduction
Paediatric interventional radiology is a growing area within IR. It has many similarities to adult practice but differs significantly in some areas, not just in the small size of the patients. Paediatric IR is different in terms of its focus on family centred care and care pathways, innovation in the adaptation of kit and procedures for small patients, the added complexities of informed consent, increased need for sedation and anaesthesia, as well as prioritisation of radiation dose reduction.
Thriving paediatric IR services also positively influence adult practice in various areas, such as the management of vascular anomalies (which present far more commonly in paediatrics), the preservation of central veins for future vascular access by the more widespread use of IR techniques, the mentoring of adults IRs who encounter emergency paediatric referrals in their own practice (such as trauma, thrombolysis or vascular insufficiency cases) and by working together to ensure that a child’s transition to adult care goes as smoothly as possible.
Paediatric IR can be delivered by dedicated paediatric interventional radiologists, paediatric diagnostic radiologists who perform some IR procedures and adult interventional radiologists that perform some procedures on children. Input from all these expert groups is needed to provide the cover for paediatric IR that the UK needs.
The special interest group aims to:
- Provide a forum for discussion, mentoring and education regarding paediatric IR
- Promote the highest standards of practice in paediatric IR in the United Kingdom
- Help develop services and expertise around the country
- Promote the exchange of information, learning and experience amongst UK interventional radiologists who have an interest in paediatric IR
- Develop a specific paeds IR education program and explore teaching options to encourage/facilitate practice by paediatric diagnostic radiologists and adult IRs
- Promote collaborative research and quality improvement
- Participate fully in the BSIR annual meeting and explore forums for collaboration with other specialties, such as through BSPR and BAPS
- Host an annual meeting in June each year to provide updates, training and network opportunities
Membership
The SIG currently has over 150 UK members, with a truly multidisciplinary background. This includes 100 consultants, including paediatric interventional radiologists, adult interventional radiologists that treat children, paediatric radiologists that perform intervention and interventional neuroradiologists. In addition, there are many radiology trainees, medical students, nurses, radiographers.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chair: Nasim Tahir
Past Chair: Prem Patel
Secretary: Narayan Karunanithy (Incoming Chair for 2025)
Adult IR liaison: Tim Bryant
Paediatric diagnostic radiology liaison: William Ramsden
Sam Byott
Simon McGuirk
Alex Barnacle
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME COMMITTEE
Alex Barnacle
Nasim Tahir
Sam Byott
Prem Patel
CONTACT US
MEETINGS AND EDUCATION
Annual PAEDS IR UK meeting
Join us every June for a day of paediatric IR, with multidisciplinary speakers from around the UK. With state of the art lectures, discussions and debates, we share best practice and debate the challenges and initiatives at the forefront of PIR. This is a great opportunity to meet IRs, trainees, radiographers and nurses who share a common interest in PIR.
Coming soon…… In 2022, we will be offering a series of one day cross-skilling courses for IRs with a predominantly adult practice and diagnostic paeds radiologists with limited or no IR experience who are looking to develop their skills so that they can offer some PIR in their hospitals. Please get in touch if you are interested
CURRENT PROJECTS
Paediatric registry:
ICECaP paediatric cryoablation registry aims to capture ALL paeds cryoablation cases (benign and malignant). This pan-European registry is recruiting through to 2026.
Please email [email protected] if your team are performing cryoablation in children to treat any disease. We need your data!
ESPR paediatric IR taskforce:
Please contact [email protected] if you would like to know more about the work of this group in Europe.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND TASTER WEEKS
We love medical students and trainees, as well as PIR-curious diagnostic or IR consultants, to come and spend some time with us to see what PIR involves and to potentially inspire you to consider this as a future career move.
Please contact one of us on the committee, via the emails above, and we will help you to make this happen.
Our SIG has active engagement with:
BSIR Paediatric SIG Newsletter Summer 2020
BSIR PAEDS SIG WINTER NEWSLETTER 2020