PAEDIATRICS

Paediatric interventional radiology is a growing specialist area within interventional radiology. It has many similarities to adult practice but differs significantly in some areas, not just in the small size of the patients. Paediatric IR (PIR) has differences in the need for family centred care and care pathways, consent, sedation and anaesthesia as well as radiation protection. The additional complexity of Paediatric interventions with regards patient size and physiology means that extra specialist training is required to safely deliver a patient centred service.

PIR’s fall into two groups those that work at a dedicated Children’s Hospitals within the UK and those that provide some Paediatric services in an adult hospital. Highly specialised Paediatric interventional radiology is centred in the larger dedicated Children’s Hospitals.

As member of the intercollegiate report on improving Paediatric interventional services in the UK in 2010 we highlighted the necessity to invest in the training and investment in Paediatric Intervention. This is critical for the provision of minimally invasive surgical procedures in a timely and appropriate time scales that mirrors the availability in the Adult interventional radiology services.

All interventional Paediatric services are available with concentration on vascular access, drainage of collections, biopsy, angiography including arterial embolisation and the treatment of vascular malformations.