Results of an American College of Radiology-Society of Interventional Radiology Membership Survey on Exclusive Contracts and the Attitudes of Interventional Radiologists.

Purpose: To assess the attitudes of interventional radiologists (IRs) and diagnostic radiologists (DRs) toward exclusive contracts and independently practicing IRs who may request privileges at a hospital where an exclusive contract exists with a different group of radiologists.

Materials And Methods: A total of 22,400 survey instruments were distributed to 4,490 IRs and 17,910 DRs in the United States. Statistical evaluation included multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis with calculation of the odds ratios and forest plots.

Prophylactic inferior vena cava filters in high-risk bariatric surgery.

Background: Bariatric patients are at significant risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and a subset may benefit from retrievable inferior vena cava filters (rIVCFs). Optimal VTE prophylaxis and a consensus on factors which make bariatric patients high risk have not been established. This study describes our experience with the use of rIVCFs in combination with chemoprophylaxis for high-risk bariatric surgery patients.

Pelvic congestion syndrome: diagnosis and treatment.

The diagnosis of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) continues to challenge all physicians involved especially those in such specialties as anesthesia, gastroenterology, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and interventional radiology. When other pelvic pathology is ruled out, an interventional radiologist may be consulted for additional evaluation and treatment of PCS. A heightened awareness and clinical suspicion for the specific symptomatology and associated findings may bring about a more rapid progression toward treatment.

Venous thromboembolic disease: the use of "optional" inferior vena cava filters.

Approximately 140,000 to 200,000 patients die as a result of pulmonary embolism in the United States each year. If the diagnosis is made and therapy initiated, the mortality rate drops to 8%. Vena cava filters play a role in the management of patients with thromboembolic disease.

Ultrasound of the acute female pelvis.

Ultrasound is the most valuable imaging modality in evaluating the premenopausal female presenting with acute pelvic pain. The appropriate interpretation of the ultrasound study requires correlation with the patient's clinical history and laboratory values. This is especially true of the serum beta-hCG, where ultrasound relies on this test to make the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.