A first: 41 international societies join SIR in supporting statement that stresses interventional radiology's importance in medical care for patients, outlines identity and scope of IR practices worldwide
The Society of Interventional Radiology, with the support of 41 international societies representing 10,000 interventional radiology doctors, has issued the first global statement defining interventional radiology-one designed to benefit medical treatment for individuals. The statement addresses the evolution, impact and future direction of this minimally invasive specialty, emphasizing the worldwide availability of this specialized medical care. The statement, the result of more than two years of collaborative work, is being co-published in August as a "Special Communications" in SIR's Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and in the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe's journal.
"Until now, there has been no single document-no blueprint-defining interventional radiology that has had broad international support. It was time for interventional radiology to organize itself, worldwide, as a single family," said SIR President James F. Benenati, M.D., FSIR, who represents the U.S. organization of nearly 4,500 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through minimally invasive treatments. Interventional radiologists offer the least invasive and most advanced treatment options for major health problems (including cancer, cardiovascular and venous disease, spine fractures, stroke and uterine fibroids), but many may not be aware of these advances, he noted.
In the United States, IR is a recognized subspecialty with its own board certification exam, and IR is defined by its strong tradition of innovation and adaptation. However, the need for a universal statement became evident because there are countries where interventional radiology may not be recognized formally as a "real" specialty or subspecialty, explained Benenati. "Continuously increasing numbers of patients are being treated by interventional radiologists-without the need for open invasive surgery, without the need for a scalpel. When you have an inclusive, multinational document that represents more than 10,000 doctors worldwide, it is hard to deny their existence," added Benenati, an interventional radiologist and medical director for the Noninvasive Vascular Laboratory at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, Fla.
"Interventional radiology is a unique specialty distinct from all other radiologic, medical and surgical specialties. While IR has been helping patients for more than 40 years, it is still a relatively new specialty; however, it has become integral to the delivery of health care worldwide," said the SIR president.
The "Global Statement Defining Interventional Radiology" puts into writing the basic elements of IR that apply to interventional radiologists anywhere in the world. It stresses that IR doctors "provide patient evaluation and management relevant to image-guided interventions in collaboration with other physicians or independently."
The collaborative statement evolved over time, with input from IRs from nearly every continent. Work on the collaborative statement began two years ago by John A. Kaufman, M.D., FSIR, FCIRSE, then SIR president, and his European counterpart, Jim A. Reekers, M.D., FCIRSE, FSIR, then president of CIRSE. It was important to include input from as large a representation of interventionalists as possible to make sure the statement was universally useful, said Kaufman, professor at the Dotter Interventional Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore. "Every country will find that what they do is a little different, but the goal is a document backed by interventional radiology societies all over the world stating, 'This is what constitutes the specialty of interventional radiology,'" he noted. "We expect that the document will be translated and published widely throughout the world," said Kaufman.
Intentionally brief, the "Global Statement Defining Interventional Radiology" details that IRs have expertise in diagnostic imaging and radiation safety, in image-guided minimally invasive procedures and techniques as applied to multiple diseases and organs, in the evaluation and management of patients suitable for the image-guided interventions included in the scope of IR practice and in continual invention and innovation of new techniques, devices and procedures. The unified statement defines and identifies the common features of IR. It provides background and outlines common elements found in the specialty, including clinical practice and scope, training, certification, research, practice quality and professionalism.