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Top interventional radiologists, neurointerventionists explore stroke care through CLOTS

Society of Interventional Radiology offers first-ever "Catheter Lysis of Thromboembolic Stroke (CLOTS)" course; limits attendee registration

FAIRFAX, Va.—The Society of Interventional Radiology presents Catheter Lysis of Thromboembolic Stroke (CLOTS)—an intensive five-day course featuring top interventional radiologists, neurointerventionists, neurologists and neuroradiologists offering doctors the opportunity to gain and/or upgrade skills to incorporate acute ischemic stroke care into their practice.

The course incorporates lectures, panel discussions, teaching files, case scenarios and hands-on interaction with flow models. It is designed specifically for doctors with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education training and experience in neuroimaging, catheter-directed cerebral angiography and subselective endovascular catheter-directed therapy. The course will be useful for well-trained specialists, including interventional radiologists, neuroradiologists, neurointerventionalists, body interventionalists and—in particular—interventional radiology and neurointerventional fellows.

"The Society of Interventional Radiology has assembled a large group of stroke experts to teach the medical management of stroke patients, cerebral imaging, interventional techniques of revascularization and the stroke team concept," said Carl M. Black, M.D., an interventional radiologist/neuroradiologist at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Many topics will be covered including the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke, neurological examination/NIH stroke scale, extensive aspects of neuroimaging, screening for stroke, stroke risk factor management, patient selection (imaging criteria), drugs used in interventional therapy, the nuts and bolts of setting up a stroke center and the role and timing of rehabilitation, said Black.

After completing the course, attendees should be able to describe the recent developments in acute stroke therapy and interventions, discuss essential elements of multidisciplinary stroke team development, analyze imaging modalities used in evaluation of acute ischemic stroke, describe intra-arterial techniques for treatment of acute ischemic stroke and demonstrate knowledge of guide catheters, microcatheters, pharmaceuticals and infusion systems. Participants will review teaching cases that will be posted on the SIR Web site, and attendees will have the opportunity to take written and practical exams on completion of this course to assess knowledge of basic principles that were covered.

Besides Black, CLOTS program coordinators include Kieran J. Murphy, M.D., FSIR, interventional neuroradiology, University of Toronto, Canada; John W. Cole, M.D., M.S., vascular neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and David Sacks, M.D., FSIR, interventional radiology, Reading Hospital and Medical Center, West Reading, Pa.

Steering Committee members include J.J. "Buddy" Connors, M.D., FSIR, interventional neuroradiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.; Rishi Gupta, M.D., interventional neurology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio; Howard A. Rowley, M.D., neuroradiology/neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and secretary of the American Society of Neuroradiology; M.J. "Bernie" Stallmeyer, M.D., Ph.D., interventional neuroradiology, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Lafayette, La.; and Joan Wojak, M.D., interventional neuroradiology, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Lafayette, La.

CLOTS will be held Dec. 6-10 at the Hyatt Regency DFW in Dallas, Texas, which is offering discounted room rates for attendees. SIR designates this educational activity for a maximum of 27.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. For more information or to register, visit online at www.SIRweb.org/CLOTS or phone (703) 691-1805. Registration is limited to the first 60 participants. Deadline to reserve a discounted hotel rate is Nov. 13; be sure to mention "SIR" when making a room reservation. More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, interventional radiologists and how to find an interventional radiologist in your area can be found online at www.SIRweb.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue.

Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org.

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