Mapping Paediatric Interventional Radiology Provision: Results of a CIRSE Member Survey

Interventional radiology (IR) services for children lag behind IR provision for adults. Meanwhile, visibility of the paediatric IR (PIR) services that are currently available is limited. The Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) Paediatric Taskforce mandate included the mapping of current PIR services via a member survey.

A survey questionnaire comprising 17 questions was created by the CIRSE Paediatric Taskforce. All CIRSE members were invited by email to participate. Responses were collected over a three-month period, and results were analysed in a descriptive manner.

In total, 293 responses were received from a total of 8111 CIRSE members who were contacted. The 293 respondents were employed in 235 medical institutions across 59 countries. A large majority of institutions reported performing less than 50 PIR procedures per month, most of which were image-guided biopsies, sclerotherapy and vascular access procedures. Procedures were performed by a variety of medical specialists including paediatric interventional radiologists, adult interventional radiologists, and non-radiologists. A lack of structured PIR training was reported by most respondents, together with a request to increase PIR training and network options across Europe.

The survey results provide a structured mapping of PIR provision within a multinational IR organisation. The lack of structured training programmes and resources demonstrate a clear mission to expand PIR training and service development in order to widen access to minimal-invasive care for children.