Relationship between radiologist training level and fluoroscopy time for voiding cystourethrography.

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine whether voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) fluoroscopy time is related to the training level of the performing radiologist.

Materials And Methods: VCUG reports with normal findings from 2008 to 2011 at one institution were retrospectively reviewed. The average fluoroscopy time was calculated for first-year radiology residents, senior radiology residents, pediatric radiology fellows, and attending pediatric radiologists. The average fluoroscopy time was also calculated for radiologist sex, patient sex, and patient age group. The analysis of variance was used to evaluate differences in average fluoroscopy times between training levels of radiologists, patient age groups, and patient sexes.

Results: We reviewed 784 VCUG reports with normal findings: 340 (43.4%) were performed by first-year residents; 181 (23%), by senior residents; 161 (20.5%), by fellows; and 102 (13%), by attending pediatric radiologists. The overall average fluoroscopy time was 1.86 minutes (SD ± 0.98). The attending pediatric radiologists had the shortest average fluoroscopy time (1.63 ± 0.92 minutes), significantly shorter than senior residents (1.96 ± 1.09 minutes; p = 0.0070) and fellows (1.91 ± 0.85 minutes; p = 0.0255). There was no significant difference between attending radiologists and first-year residents (1.85 ± 1.00 minutes; p = 0.0550). The male-to-female ratio of radiologists was 54% versus 46%, with identical average fluoroscopy times: male radiologists, 1.86 ± 1.05 minutes; female radiologists, 1.86 ± 0.90 minutes. There was no significant difference in average fluoroscopy times among patient age groups: 1.93, 1.76, and 1.78 minutes, respectively, for groups A (0-1 years), B (> 1 to ≤ 5 years), and C (> 5 years) (p = 0.1750, 0.4605, 0.6303). The average fluoroscopy time for male patients (2.02 ± 1.00 minutes) was significantly longer than that for female patients (1.71 ± 0.95 minutes; p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Attending pediatric radiologists have the shortest fluoroscopy time; the differences between their average time compared with the average times of pediatric radiology fellows and of senior radiology residents were statistically significant. The average fluoroscopy time is longer for male patients than for female patients.