Neuroradiology Fellowship

Overview of the Neuroradiology Fellowship Program

Loyola University Medical Center, an academic hospital part of Loyola Medicine, is a tertiary care facility with a high volume of complex and fascinating cases that provide a comprehensive exposure to all areas of neuroradiology, both common and esoteric.

A long established Level I trauma center serving the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Medical Center is also home to the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center and is the center of an active telestroke network that channels regional stroke cases to the medical center.

The Neuroradiology Fellowship program at Loyola Medicine is a one-year ACGME approved program which provides advanced training in all aspects of imaging of the central nervous system, spine and head and neck.

Education is provided through daily image interpretation, didactic lectures, attendance at multi-disciplinary conferences and supervised instruction in procedures including angiography, myelography, biopsies and interventional procedures.

Exceptional training in advanced imaging includes clinical applications of fMRI, DTI, spectroscopy and perfusion imaging using both CT and MRI. There is routine exposure to CT and MR angiography as well as experience in CSF flow studies and fetal MRI.

Fellows work very closely with dedicated and enthusiastic faculty who have special expertise in areas including; advanced imaging, head and neck imaging and vascular imaging. The program is designed to train outstanding neuroradiologists who are prepared to excel in either academic medicine or private practice and who are committed to a process of lifelong learning and education.

Fellowship training is done at Loyola University Medical Center's campus, which is located in Maywood, IL with our outpatient imaging center in Burr Ridge, IL. The majority of the year is spent in general neuroradiology rotations with broad exposure to all areas of modern neuroradiology.

Dedicated blocks are designed to provide concentrated exposure to head and neck radiology, spinal imaging, pediatric radiology, advanced imaging techniques and angiography/interventional neuroradiology to allow in depth review of these subjects with daily Socratic discussions of fine points in each area.

These blocks are generally scheduled as month long rotations, but can be modified to address special interests. Exposure to these areas is not limited to these concentrated periods with continuous reinforcement of learned skills during daily reading which encompasses all areas of neuroradiology.

Loyola has busy neurology, neurosurgery and otolaryngology departments with broad exposure to pathology in these areas. There are two weekly multi-disciplinary ENT conferences that the fellow will participate in, and gain confidence in presenting and discussing imaging features as well as radiographic staging while working as an integral part of the treatment team. There is a busy skull base tumor service as well as pediatric and adult otology.

Fellows will also be involved with imaging in neuro-oncology with advanced imaging techniques including fMRI, tractography and perfusion imaging. Weekly neuro-oncology conference provides a setting for presenting the imaging findings and learning the clinical and pathologic correlations that allow a comprehensive understanding of the significance of neuro imaging.

Other conferences in include a bi-weekly neuro-vascular conference and a monthly endovascular/neurovascular M&M conference.

There is one neuroradiology fellow each year with two radiology residents rotating on the service each month. Teaching residents and medical students in both procedures and in supervising daily film reading is an integral part of the training program.

Research is an expected element of the training program with fellow participation in an individual or group QI project and involvement in either independent research or participation in on-going project within the section.

Protected time is made available to accomplish these learning objectives within the fellowship program. Fellows take film reading call one weekend a month with no home call.