Cardiointerventional Radiology

[jonathanlikes]

Just out of curiosity, why didn't Coronary artery disease catheterization/stenting end up being treated in a similar fashion to what happened with the arteries that feed the brain?
In the neuro realm, even though Neurologists are still the main person diagnosing the patient and making long term management decisions about antithrombotic therapy and statins, they are usually not the ones performing the procedures (which go to surgeons and radiologists).
Do you think that there is something about CAD and the heart that makes it necessary for a cardiologist to be the one intervening?

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[cards67]

Money.

 

[timpview]

My take is neuro-interventions came latter to the game and to the point where hospitals, CMS, society wasn’t going to allow a bunch of neurologists with no catheter skills to figure it out. Such neurologists with no procedure skills and full of a bunch of types that would choose neurology in the first place obviously weren’t going to figure it out either… even though a few tried/are trying.

Cardiologists were at least doing something with their hands and when angioplasty came along they were given 10-15 years (or through the 90s, early 00s) to work through the development of the specialty.. something that woukd never be allowed today.

And I never see a time where neuro IR really gets in the cardiac game though I have been surprised to hear about a few places where they do pericardiocentesis… which is totally fine by me and which kind of makes sense to a small degree given how many US guided drains they do.