Daily case review
The neuroradiology fellow is expected to arrive for work by 7:30 a.m. to begin case review and organize section activities for the day.
The fellow is in charge of protocol prescription for MR and CT studies; much of this activity is to be shared with radiology residents according to their abilities. Complex or difficult protocols are to be discussed with neuroradiology faculty.
The fellow is expected to review 25 or more CT or MR imaging cases on those days where no interventional procedures are performed. For each case they will learn the relevant clinical history, independently review the imaging study, compare the imaging study to relevant prior studies, and formulate an interpretation of the study. They will then review each study with an attending neuroradiologist. Faculty neuroradiologists are expected to use this time for one-on-one teaching relevant to the clinical case material and imaging techniques. The fellow will report critical findings to the necessary persons. They will dictate the imaging report and edit the transcribed report for accuracy. neuroradiology faculty will evaluate the reports and provide constructive criticism. The daily clinical material ideally serves as a springboard for further reading in advanced topics.
Invasive procedures
The fellow is expected to perform invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures under the direct supervision of a neuroradiology faculty member. Interventional procedures will require a 7:00 a.m. start on some days. There will be graded responsibility given depending on fellow experience and abilities. For example, at the beginning of the fellowship the fellow may be primarily responsible for handing the faculty the necessary equipment, and by the final months of the fellowship be performing the procedure with the faculty member watching from the control room.
Responsibility for procedures includes pre-procedure patient management, including review of the clinical history, performance of relevant physical examination, and review laboratory and imaging studies. The pre-procedure workup will be directly supervised by neuroradiology faculty and the plan discussed. Post-procedure evaluation will similarly performed and supervised. The fellow is required to maintain a procedure log of the invasive procedures that they have performed. The fellow is to participate in department and division QA activities.
It is expected that the fellow will participate in more than 100 image-guided invasive procedures including percutaneous biopsies and spine procedures, and participate in more than 10 neurointerventional procedures.
Didactic neuroradiology conference
The fellow will attend the two monthly didactic neuroradiology lectures given by the neuroradiology faculty. These lectures are fellow level, and occur from 12 to 1 pm as part of the Radiology Department lecture series. A total of 25 such conferences are given each year. The fellow will deliver didactic and case conferences to the residents. They will additionally gather interesting cases and present bi-monthly to the reading room.
Other conferences
The fellow is encouraged to attend the following weekly educational/interdisciplinary conferences:
- Cerebrovascular conference (weekly)
- Pediatric neuroradiology conference (biweekly)
- Neurology megarounds (weekly)
- Neurology grand rounds (weekly)
- Brain cutting (offered weekly)
- Diagnostic Radiology Peer Learning (bimonthly)
For the Neuro-oncology tumor board and Head and neck tumor board the fellow is responsible for presenting the cases and is to review the cases with a faculty member prior to the conference.
Other conferences attended by neuroradiology faculty that the fellow should attend periodically:
- Neuro-oncology tumor board
- Head and neck tumor board
- Endocrinology conference
- Epilepsy conference