Acing the Fundamentals of Radiology: An Online Series for Medical Students and Interns.

PURPOSE: The current undergraduate radiology education predominantly integrates radiology with other disciplines during preclerkship years and is often taught by nonradiologists. Early exposure to radiology and profound understanding of scientific fundamentals of imaging modalities and techniques are essential for a better understanding and interest in the specialty. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic-related impact on in-person medical education aggravated the need for alternative virtual teaching initiatives to provide essential knowledge to medical students. METHODS: The authors designed an online 7-session course on the principles of imaging modalities for medical students and fresh graduates in the United States and abroad. The course was delivered online and taught by radiologists from different US institutions. Pretests and posttests were delivered before and after each session, respectively, to assess change in knowledge. At the end of the course, a survey was distributed among students to collect their assessment and feedback. RESULTS: A total of 162 students and interns initially enrolled in the program by completing a sign-up interest form. An average of 65 participants attended each live session, with the highest attendance being 93 live attendees. An average of 44 attendees completed both the pretest and posttest for each session. There was a statistically significant increase in posttest scores compared with pretest scores ( P < 0.01) for each session; on average, the posttest scores were 48% higher than the pretest scores. A total of 84 participants answered the end-of-course survey. A total of 11% of the respondents described themselves as first year, 17% as second year, 18% as third year, 21% as fourth year, and 33% as "other." Attendees were enrolled in medical schools across 21 different countries with 35% of the respondents studying medicine in the United States. More than 76% of the respondents stated that they "strongly agree" that the program increased their understanding of radiology, increased their interest in radiology, and would be useful in their clinical practice in the future. Eighty-three percent of the respondents stated that they "strongly agree" that "this course was a worthwhile experience." Particularly, more than 84% of the respondents stated that among the most important components in enhancing their understanding of radiology were "the interpretation of normal imaging" and "interpretation of clinical cases." Ninety-two percent of the respondents stated that "the amount of effort to complete the requirements for this program was just right." Participants were also asked to rate each of the 8 sessions using the following scale: poor = 1 point, fair = 2, good = 3, and excellent = 4. The average rating for all 8 sessions was 3.61 points (SD = 0.55), which translates to 96% of the sessions being rated good or excellent. Eighty percent of the participants reported that the topics presented in the program were "excellent and clinically important to learn," and 20% of the participants reported that the topics presented were "good and somewhat important to learn." The participants were asked to evaluate their confidence regarding basic radiology skills before and after the program using the following scale: not confident at all = 1 point, somewhat confident = 2, moderately confident = 3, and very confident = 4. Figure 2 summarizes the responses of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: An online course to teach the fundamentals of imaging modalities could be delivered through a webinar format to medical students and interns in several countries to address the potential gaps in radiology education, therefore increasing their understanding of the different imaging modalities and their proper use in medicine.

Multidisciplinary Approach in Teaching Diagnostic Radiology to Medical Students: The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Virtual Educational Model.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of an online multidisciplinary approach for teaching diagnostic radiology to medical students. METHODS: An online 10-session case-based learning course was designed and taught by a multidisciplinary team of radiologists, surgeons, and internists. Session topics included common clinical case scenarios for different systems and were hosted on a videoconferencing platform. Students from six medical schools across Texas enrolled in the course. The effectiveness of each session was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design. Students completed a final survey after the course to evaluate their experience. RESULTS: An average of 108 attended the live sessions, with attendance peaking at 220. On average, 75 students completed both the pretest and posttest of each session. Posttest scores were an average of 46% higher than pretest scores. A total of 109 students completed the final survey; more than 90% of participants agreed that the program was relevant, that its multidisciplinary approach was valuable, and that it increased their knowledge of imaging as a diagnostic tool. Seventy-four percent said that the program increased their interest in radiology. Almost all participants said that the topics presented were thought to be "excellent and clinically important to learn" by most of the students (70%). Participants reported increased confidence in basic radiology skills after completion of the program. CONCLUSIONS: An online multidisciplinary approach can be feasibly implemented to address the radiology education needs of a large number of medical students across a group of medical schools.

Prenatal Diagnosis and Successful Palliation of Absent Aortic Valve with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Introduction Congenital absence of the aortic valve leaflets is a rare association with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Case A 37-year-old pregnant woman was referred for fetal evaluation of possible HLHS at 22 weeks of gestation. The fetal echocardiogram (ECHO) was remarkable for a hypoplastic left atrium, nearly atretic mitral valve, small left ventricle, and a hypoplastic aortic valve with severe aortic insufficiency. A female infant was born at term and postnatal ECHO confirmed the above findings. In addition, there was complete absence of the aortic valve leaflets. The patient underwent Norwood's procedure at day 5 of life with atrial septectomy, over-sewing of the aortic valve annulus, and a 4 mm Sano's shunt between the right ventricle and the main pulmonary artery. She tolerated this surgery well and subsequently underwent a bidirectional Glenn's procedure at 8 months of life. Conclusion Prenatal diagnosis of absent aortic valve should be suspected in the presence of severe aortic insufficiency in the fetal ECHO. Early postnatal intervention is critical as those patients are likely to deteriorate quickly. The over-sewing of the aortic valve may be important to prevent coronary steal and myocardial hypoperfusion which could potentially be detrimental.

Predictors and clinical implications of atrial fibrillation in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence at baseline, postprocedural incidence, and clinical impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). BACKGROUND: AF in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) is an independent risk factor for adverse outcome. Despite the evidence for high AF prevalence and the increased risk in surgical series, there are limited data with regard to AF and its impact on outcome after TAVI. METHODS: Consecutive patients with symptomatic, severe AS were analyzed and categorized according to prevalence of AF on initial admission (baseline AF) and according to the development of new AF postprocedure (postprocedure AF). A total of 371 patients were included in the analysis; of them, 143 (39%) had AF at baseline. RESULTS: No difference in procedural and hospital outcome was found between groups; however, baseline AF patients did have higher 1-year mortality (28.8 vs. 18%, P = 0.01). Of the patients with no baseline AF, 46 patients (20%) developed new, postprocedural AF during their hospital stay. Inhospital death was twice as frequent in patients with new, postprocedure AF, however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (13 vs. 6.7%, P = 0.22). Procedure hemodynamic instability (OR 9.3; 95% CI 1.5-59), and transapical access (OR 4.96, 95% CI 1.9-13.2) were independent predictors for development of new AF. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline and postprocedure AF are common in AS patients undergoing TAVI. However, only postprocedure AF is associated with a prolonged and more complicated hospital course. AF is associated with poor long-term, but not short-term, mortality.

The impact of live case transmission on patient outcomes during transcatheter aortic valve replacement: results from the VERITAS study.

BACKGROUND: Live case demonstration as an educational tool is widely used to rapidly and effectively disseminate information on surgical and interventional techniques. The risks and benefits of live case transmission for investigational devices, however, are in question. METHODS: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Intervention-Live Transmission (VERITAS) is a case-control study of 60 patients from 5 centers who were treated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) during live- or recorded transmission; of which 42 have matched Control subjects from five sites. Case and Control subjects were matched by valve type, access strategy (Edwards SAPIEN transfemoral, Edwards SAPIEN transapical, CoreValve transfemoral), Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score, date of TAVR procedure, and primary operator. RESULTS: The Case and Control groups' baseline characteristics were similar, with average ages of 84 and 82 years, and STS scores of 6.54±3.22 and 6.46±3.20, respectively. The number of operators, fluoroscopy time, contrast volume and length of hospital stay were also similar between groups. Overall, 91.7% of the cases had TAVR via a transfemoral approach; 72% of these patients received a closure device. The final valve position was adequate in 91.2% of the Case patients and in 97% of the Control patients, with no cases of valve migration or coronary obstruction. The Case patients had longer procedure times (130.2±50.6 versus 100.6±43.7min; p=0.006). The Valve Academic Research Consortium in-hospital complications were similar between groups. Four Case patients and 1 Control patient required additional valve implantation. CONCLUSION: Data support the notion that live transmission of TAVR procedures, when performed by experienced operators, can be done safely with similar outcomes when compared to non-transmitted cases.