|  The Division of Gastrointestinal Radiology continues its vital activity with steady growth and improvement. Digital fluoroscopy with image transfer to PACS improves efficiency, communication and cost effectiveness, making studies efficient for both patients and clinicians. Our concurrent use of realtime fluoroscopy, now captured on DVD, lets us further decrease radiation exposure, as well as expediting review, documentation, teaching, and communication with referring physicians.
The replacement of all the digital units with state of-the art pulsed digital fluoroscopy has provided for rapid, efficient studies while minimizing radiation exposure for both patients and staff, and is an outgrowth of our commitment to provide safe, child-friendly care. Child-Friendly Atmosphere
We continue to work closely with the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, especially the CHaD Pain-Free Program. The DX section staff has enthusiastically taken on the responsibility of making our pediatric patients' x-ray visits as pleasant as possible, adding DVDs which can be played during exams and child-friendly decorations. Room 5 is the "princess room" and room 7 is the "fish room." Many of the cutout decorations are the work of Nancy Gankiewicz, RT and Chris Howell, RT. Teaching
GI Radiology's success depends on our teamwork, and on close collaboration with the medical center's clinical services of Gastroenterology, General Surgery, and Internal Medicine. This collaboration is evident during the weekly multidisciplinary GI conference, which has been CME-accredited since 1993. Here, diagnostic and therapeutic issues are presented in a case-based format to house staff and students, and selected clinical problems are studied in depth through a collaborative process with the presentation of recent advances by subspecialty experts. The performance of imaging studies in a focused, expedient, and logical progression is one positive outcome of this multidisciplinary conference. Local physicians from outside the medical center continue to attend the conference, bringing in new ideas and questions and strengthening our ties to the community. The conference has become a standard part of the program for visiting professors in Gastroenterology. We continue to implement the core curriculum in GI Radiology. Core presentations are given by Department faculty and are supplemented by visiting professors, New England Roentgen Ray meetings, and Grand Rounds. One-on-one review of teaching file cases is a very useful and popular part of the fluoroscopy rotation, and Dr. Chertoff's experience as a GI examiner for the American Board of Radiology examination enhances the review sessions held for senior residents. Delivering Care Across the Region
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center serves as a tertiary referral center for a large multi-state area, often requiring patients to travel long distances for our state-of-the-art expertise and technology. The delivery of high-quality care to patients with complex disorders requires both optimal coordination of the services provided by the different departments, and close consultative communication among the physicians involved. Recognition of this need has led to the development of the New England Hepatobiliary Disease Center at DHMC, whose mission is to become the leading center for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary diseases. It is the result of a coordinated collaboration between Gastroenterology, Surgery, and Radiology. The Center's goals include the provision of state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with hepatobiliary diseases, the promotion of research directed towards the development of new methods for diagnosing and treating hepatobiliary diseases, and the dissemination of information about hepatobiliary diseases.
Gastrointestinal Radiology Team:
Jocelyn Chertoff, MD, Director Michael Tsapakos, MD |
