Beginning angiography: a step-by-step guide

Procedures in radiology are still very much learnt as an apprenticeship. While there is no substitute for hands-on practice and the one-to-one teaching of an experienced consultant, it has been our experience that learning is significantly facilitated by the availability of simple, easy-to-follow, relevant notes for pre-reading, especially in the difficult and potentially hazardous area of angiography. However, we have had surprising difficulty in finding an introductory text that is suitable for the teaching of angiography to new, never-seen-it-before trainees. We have therefore developed a short, simple, illustrated manual within our department for introducing angiography to first-year registrars, which we present in this article. We hope trainees will find it of use for providing an overview of the principles and the basic techniques involved prior to beginning formal training in this challenging and rewarding specialty.