Can someone explain NIR? confused....

[TUGM]

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Is it safe to assume that most tertiary/quaternary academic centers have case volumes of 800-1200/yr (taken from various institutional websites/documents - MCW, MGH, Miami, UPitt, Columbia etc.)? And that's usually divided among 3-5 interventionalists. Assuming ~ 200-300 cases/year per operator, how does this number compare to the number of cases other interventionalists/surgeons do on average? I'm worried with all the talk of rising practitioner volumes and decreasing case loads that I may not be able to get enough experience... though the ACGME recommends a minimum of only 50 intervention. which is kind of scary?

Also any consensus on which route, vascular vs NCC, better equips you? What's really the difference between a vascular neurologist and a neurointensivist - their roles seem to overlap quite a bit. To be trained in stroke AND NCC, you HAVE to do 3 years now?

 

[typhoonegator]

If you want vascular and NCC certification, yes you need to do two fellowships now. I do acute stroke and NCC, but I don't do/read TCDs or ultrasounds, and I don't do longitudinal stroke care (only boarded in NCC). Some NCC fellowships are very stroke heavy, but some others are completely the opposite. Some of the best neuroIR people I know are radiology trained, so it's not like you have to have some major vascular background to be good in that field.

Not sure about the numbers you're quoting, but I'm certain that they would have to include diagnostic angios alongside interventions.