Interventional radiology in European radiology departments: a joint survey from the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE)

To gather information from radiological departments in Europe about the organization and practice of interventional radiology (IR).

The European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) developed an online survey with questions that addressed the organization of IR within radiology departments. The survey was sent to 1180 addresses of department heads throughout Europe.

There were 98 answers (response rate 8.3%) from many European nations, reflecting the situation of IR in Europe.

Five points of action can be suggested based on the survey results. There is a need to assure 24-h service of IR in all radiological departments; networking can be the solution in case staffing problems arise. To attract students, IR needs to be recognized early as a possible career option. Although IR is included in the ESR Curriculum for Undergraduate Radiological Education, this is not the case everywhere, and it must be. There is a “gender issue” in IR since the majority of specialists are male. The lack of role models is probably the main reason why women do not pursue an interventional career. It is, therefore, necessary to increase the number of women in faculty and chair positions to provide a well-balanced leadership team. The field of radiology should work towards recognition of the full clinical role of IR, making efforts to also take into account the “administrative” responsibility throughout the entire process of care for each patient treated by interventional radiologists. Additionally, those radiologists who perform only diagnostic tasks must take an active role in IR. When a situation is encountered which could be amenable to therapy with IR, the radiological report should suggest this form of therapy and the patient should be referred to colleagues in IR.