Web-review: Interventional radiology

A few useful websites dealing with interventional radiology and related topics are reviewed below: Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology (SCVIR) at http://www.scvir.org/ is a website for physicians who specialize in interventional or minimally invasive procedures. The site has numerous engrossing sections, including the one titled ‘Clinical Practice Guidelines’. These guidelines, accessible at http://www.scvir.org/clinical/index.htm#9 or alternatively at http://www.practiceguidelines.org, facilitate practice principles producing high quality interventional radiology care. This online educational compendium ‘attempts to define practice principles that generally should assist in producing high quality medical care.’ It contains quality improvement documents, consensus documents, policy and position statements, technology assessment documents, and standards from outside organizations. The Indian Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (ISVIR) formed at Trivandrum in November 1997 is ‘a platform for exchange of information regarding catheter-based radiological procedures.’ Available at http://www.isvir.in/, the web portal has sections titled ‘About ISVIR,’ ‘Events and Meetings,’ ‘Information for Patients,’ and a registry. The registry, titled ‘National registry for vascular interventional radiological procedures in India,’ is available at http://161.58.194.156/isvreg2/ and efforts are underway to commence disease and technique-specific data collection. The Indian Society of Neuroradiology at http://isnrindia.org/pages/index.php was ‘established to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge in a rapidly advancing area of medical science.’ The web portal has numerous sections like ‘Profile,’ ‘Activities,’ ‘Programs,’ ‘News,’ ‘Knowledge Base,’ and ‘Careers.’ The section on ‘Knowledge Base’ currently has material on the history and growth of neuroradiology in the last decade, neuroradiology and imaging at AIIMS (New Delhi), Lucknow, and Shree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology. Endovascular.org at http://www.endovascular.org/ is an interesting site which offers content and relevant information about circulatory diseases and vascular interventions. An initial registration is mandatory. ‘EndoChat Room,’ ‘Experts Online,’ an interactive ‘Ask the Experts’ section, and ‘Interactive Challenge’ are a set of interesting sections. The Journal of Endovascular Therapy is accessible at http://www.jevt.org/. Formerly called Journal of Endovascular Surgery, this online journal has free access to full-text articles. A useful index of archives is also available. Intravascular Imaging is accessible at http://www.remedica.com/ii/us/ii/index.html. Offered free from Remedica Publishing, Ltd., a mandatory registration is required. ‘This journal, which is read by more than 10,000 clinicians worldwide, is designed as a guide to the now extensive but often dispersed literature on vascular investigations available to interventional clinicians.’ The editorial team reviews significant articles on intravascular imaging topics. Similarly, ‘Interventionalist and Interventional News’ at http://www.interventionalist.org is a product of landmark collaboration between the SCVIR (North America) and CIRSE (Europe) and was ‘created to enhance interdisciplinary communication, to deliver up-to-date articles on new developments, and provide news and information to the interventional community around the world.’ Vascular Disease Foundation at http://www.vdf.org/ deals with the all-important condition of peripheral arterial disease which clearly is ‘underdiagnosed and undertreated.’ The site has numerous features, such as information on peripheral arterial disease and smoking. Legs for Life at http://www.legsforlife.org ‘is a national screening program for peripheral vascular disease (PVD), dedicated to improving the cardiovascular health of the community. Legs for Life is supported by the American Radiological Nurses Association (ARNA), the Society for Vascular Nursing (SVN), and the Cardiovascular Radiology Council of the American Heart Association.’ Additionally, the site has facts about abdominal aortic aneurysms and a section titled ‘Know your risk for PVD.’ Cathlab at http://www.cathlab.com/ is an engrossing website that focuses on interventionists by combining an enormous database, interactive media, and the World Wide Web. The site has sections on education organizations, publications, etc. The section on companies at http://www.cathlab.com/companies/ is a handy and useful database comprising the makers of angioplasty balloons, catheters, contrast media, guide wires, stents, etc. PTCA Angioplasty at http://www.ptca.org is an interactive site that features ‘News’ (late-breaking news available online), ‘Forum’ (a discussion area on a wide range of topics), and ‘Interview’ (interviews with pioneers in interventional cardiology). The video section is ‘an visual archive of clips, containing exclusive interview material with Andreas Gruentzig, dramatic narratives about the first angioplasty, and the ‘accidental’ invention of coronary angiography; all clips are available in the Real Video format for instant ‘streaming.’ An exceptionally good set of links are at hand at http://www.ptca.org/links.html. Interventional Neuroradiology Service at Wake Forest University School of Medicine is highlighted at http://www.rad.bgsm.edu/interventionneurorad/Intervent_neurorad.htm. Endovascular Stenting for Carotid Bifurcation Stenosis is a feature on carotid angioplasty and stenting by Cheung et al. from the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Canada and is available at http://www.sunnybrook.utoronto.ca/~medimg/carotid_stent/stent2.html.

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