The Thoracic Radiology rotation is generally divided into conventional radiographs and CT with the more junior resident usually taking responsibility for chest x-rays. All new residents will rotate through this area before beginning call. Responsibilites on this rotation include inpatient (including ICU) and outpatient adult chest radiographs. There are between 100-150 studies per day on average.
The resident on the Chest CT rotation is responsible for all adult inpatient and outpatient chest CT’s performed at MUSC and Rutledge Tower. Typically, this totals between 20-30 studies per day and includes a wide variety of pathology. The resident assigned to this rotation is an active participant in triaging studies and assigning the appropriate imaging protocol and is the primary reader for all thoracic CT. MUSC is busy a Level I trauma center and developing and evaluating the role of ECG-gated CT for the evaluation of acute chest pain. We are one of the ACRIN sites for the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST).
Both residents are also involved with teaching medical students in the reading room and provide clinical consultations as necessary.
There are active clinical programs in thoracic oncology, interstitial lung disease, rheumatologic disease and sarcoidosis. Opportunities are available to attend the multi-disciplinary thoracic tumor board where management of lung and esophageal cancer is discussed as well as attend the bi-weekly pulmonary clinical conferences and monthly interstitial disease conference while on rotation. Research opportunities are available across the spectrum of cardiopulmonary imaging (including MR imaging and PET) and are encouraged for interested students and residents.
MUSC has been on the forefront of technological advances in Radiology, becoming one of the first filmless departments with the installation of AGFA PACS back in 1996. The PACS system has been recently updated and the Terra Recon thin client workstation is a button-click away. We currently have two 64-detector Siemens scanner, one located in the Heart and Vascular center and the other in the Emergency department, as well as a 16-detector Siemens and two 16 detector GE CT scanners. Post-processing and 3D workstations (including Siemans, GE, Vital Images and Terra Recon) are located in both the reading rooms as well as in a dedicated post-processing workroom located near the main hospital CT scanners.
Dr. James Ravenel, section head for Thoracic Imaging, completed his Thoracic Imaging Fellowship at Duke University. He staffs the thoracic and thoracic CT rotations along with Dr. Philip Costello (Department Chair). Dr. Costello was Head of Thoracic Imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School prior to joining MUSC in 2004. Dr. U. Joseph Schoepf and Dr. Stephen Schabel are also staff radiologists in this division. Thoracic Imaging is a popular rotation for both medical students and residents. The faculty is dedicated to providing both an elementary and advanced understanding of chest imaging. |
