Reflections of an interventional radiology ST6

Created - 01.09.2022

After completing core radiology rotations and passing our notoriously challenging exams, I began my subspeciality training at a busy London trauma hospital. I was attracted to IR because it is incredibly varied speciality where we perform procedures which span several subspecialties such as vascular, urology, GI and oncology.

My time is 80% IR and 20% diagnostic radiology. My typical day starts by reviewing the patient list, which inevitably changes as new patients are added as the day progresses. We are start with our day case patients who can be recovered and discharged home the same day. Throughout the day, I’m also vetting new requests and reviewing their imaging. The days are often busy and the week flies by! After getting to grips with the full breath of IR in ST4 and ST5, my final year is about running the daily patient list as e¦ciently as possible and supervision of junior colleagues.

In addition to acute CT reporting, I developed my interest in uroradiology which allowed me to report specialist MRI studies. I have a half day session to prepare the Urology Cancer MDT which I present on a regular MDT rota. It can be challenging to strike a balance developing diagnostic reporting alongside interventional radiology training but always worthwhile.

Being non-resident on-call as an IR registrar, I received calls from neighbouring hospitals in addition to my own hospital. I would review imaging using remote access to PACS, and decide whether an intervention was indicated prior to discussing the plan with my consultant. Being on call as a registrar is a valuable experience, particularly managing the referrals and making decisions out of hours.

As a senior trainee I began to develop my main area of interest which is oncological intervention, in particular Transarterial Chemoembolisation (TACE) and tumour ablation techniques such as Cryoablation for renal cell carcinoma. I take part in IR clinics which are essential for reviewing patients and consenting them appropriately prior to their procedures.

I am currently working in a busy DGH with a large oncology centre and learning to get to grips with GI stenting! There are always new techniques to learn in IR. I find GI stenting is particularly satisfying because you can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life with a day case procedure!

Bhavin Kawa , ST6 IR trainee, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals/Kent Oncology Centre