Fluro Help / Reading suggestions

[Dryacku]

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Hey,

I will be starting a pain fellowship next year and I dont feel that comfortable with fluro (how to recognize structures well, which views to use when etc)

Is there any good way to increase my understanding and knowledge of fluro. I have a year before I start so any help would be great.

Also, any good books or anything you would suggest to read in the interim. I am working for a year so hopefully boards are out of the way for now.

Thanks

 

[dc2md]

Nothing replaces hands-on use with a fluoro unit. If you can, I'd take a couple weeks (if you have time) and watch a fluoro machine being used for interventional pain. Keep a mental note of the angles used and have a skeletal model nearby so you can visualize what the rotations and cephalad/caudad tilts of the C-arm do. If possible, find a doc that'll even allow you to move the C-arm while he/she works.

As for a book, I'd recommend "The Handbook of C-arm Fluoroscopy-Guided Spinal Injections". Kind of pricey, but if you really need the good basics on the angulation of the C-arm with each procedure, go for that. See if a local inventional pain doc has one and will allow you to borrow it; or if a local hospital's library has one you can go and read.

80+% of the skill in performing these injections is in getting a good fluoroscopic image. Driving the needle is relatively easy; but if you don't know what you're looking at or aiming for, you're screwed (and so is the patient).

Good luck.

Hey,

I will be starting a pain fellowship next year and I dont feel that comfortable with fluro (how to recognize structures well, which views to use when etc)

Is there any good way to increase my understanding and knowledge of fluro. I have a year before I start so any help would be great.

Also, any good books or anything you would suggest to read in the interim. I am working for a year so hopefully boards are out of the way for now.

Thanks

 

[nvrsumr]

Be the "rad tech" for your attending for a couple weeks.

 

[sthesia]

Several people had suggested Fenton's book: Image-Guided Spine Interventions in the past. This book was published approx 10 yrs ago or so. However, word of mouth info has led me to believe that it has stood the test of time.

Of note, the book's second edition was recently published in June 2011. However, Fenton was not one of the authors of this edition (instead it was written by Mathis & Golovac.) Also, the latest edition is not hardcover and is significantly smaller in size than its predecessor. I'm guessing this means that the quantity of images has been cut down.

Perhaps, someone who has read both can chime in with more info.

 

[lobelsteve]

If Stan Golovac had a hand in it, it will be excellent. I've known Dr. G for 8 years and he's as good as it gets: ethics, skills, kindness, brains.
He practices in Florida. We were in Plano 2 weeks ago and discussed discography on a bus ride to dinner. He's top notch.

 

[mid|ine]

Rathmell's book is also good.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1T874DT11MGK5VB2GW3B

 

[ParaVert]

If Stan Golovac had a hand in it, it will be excellent. I've known Dr. G for 8 years and he's as good as it gets: ethics, skills, kindness, brains.
He practices in Florida. We were in Plano 2 weeks ago and discussed discography on a bus ride to dinner. He's top notch.

Golovac proctored my MILD cadaver course. Agree with above, good guy with skills.

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Without a base of experience, books don't help much.

Try doing what I wished I had done - spend free time in radiology, hanging out with rad techs, seeing how they take various xrays, esp fluoro. Even learning how they shoot basic xrays can help in your mind converting those 2D images to 3D structures.

 

[Jitter Bug]

The problem with the books is they already show the perfect view and needle approach.

You need actual time in the fluoro suite with someone who will let you drive the C-arm (either personally or by giving commands to the tech) so you know how to get those nice textbook views.

 

[willabeast]

The problem with the books is they already show the perfect view and needle approach.

You need actual time in the fluoro suite with someone who will let you drive the C-arm (either personally or by giving commands to the tech) so you know how to get those nice textbook views.

i became an x ray tech for a week.
it really got me to understand how difficult it can be to get the c arm
where we want it.
shooter says move it to the right - does he mean patient's right, doc's right or my right? and that is just the beginning...