Pediatric Imaging

General Information

P.O. Box 208042, CH-272B New Haven, CT 06520-8042 Admin Assistant, Susan Finkle

Phone: Fax:

203-785-5913 203-785-3061

The section of Pediatric Imaging within the Yale Department of Radiology is composed of dedicated radiologists; all of whom trained in the subspecialty of Pediatric Radiology.

There are approximately 40,000 exams interpreted and procedures performed by the section each year. Imaging takes place at Yale-New Haven Hospital Children's Hospital (YNHCH), at two dedicated off-site pediatric outpatient facilities in New Haven and Norwalk, and at Yale-Health system-wide outpatient facilities in the greater New Haven area.

Clinical Interests

Our pediatric radiologists are devoted to the care of children, and are invested in multiple aspects of Pediatric Imaging. They:

• Advise pediatric providers in the selection of most advantageous imaging modalities and image-guided procedures for each patient
• Consult with radiology technologists to adjust scan protocols, ensuring that parameters are optimized for pediatric patients of different ages
• Select optimal CT and MR scan techniques for each patient prior to their scans
• Audit and assure optimal image quality
• Interpret imaging studies, including: radiographs and sonograms of all body parts; CT scans of the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis; MRI scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
• Perform and interpret fluoroscopy studies of the respiratory, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts
• Supervise the clinical work of radiology trainees
• Round every day with the Pediatric ICU and Neonatal ICU teams, reviewing results of imaging studies and procedures
• Routinely consult with referring providers and medical teams on in-house and outside imaging studies and procedures
• Participate on multidisciplinary pediatric clinical conferences, including: oncology, child protection, and fetal care.
• Provide 24/7 clinical subspecialty on-call coverage at YNHCH Vet radiology equipment and supplies for pediatric use at YNHCH Serve on professional organizations devising clinical practice guidelines and standards for pediatric imaging that are followed nationally

Research and Scholar Direction

The research and scholarly contributions of the Pediatric Radiology section involve mainly the imaging of the pediatric chest, abdomen, and limbs. These are fields that, although exciting, historically have attracted relatively few investigators and little funding. Consequently, discoveries in these areas usually lag their adult counterparts. The sectional endeavors aim to narrow that gap, taking advantage of the cutting-edge equipment available at Yale Diagnostic Radiology.

Faculty in the section of Pediatric Radiology steadily author both in-house and multicentric review articles and hypothesis-driven studies that are presented at national and international radiology conferences, and published in prime radiology journals. They also mentor medical students, residents and fellows in research and scholarly projects.

Faculty from the Pediatric Radiology section direct the imaging components of nationwide multicenter trials, devising the imaging protocol implemented at multiple sites, training offsite radiologists/imaging technologists, ensuring the quality of the images, and heading criterion-standard adjudication committees.

Recent Pediatric Section research and scholarly contributions include the following fields:

• Ultrasound evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in neonates
• Ultrasound evaluation of deep venous thrombosis in critically-ill children
• Ultrasound evaluation of pediatric trauma
• Ultrasound evaluation of the pediatric thyroid gland
• CT evaluation of congenital lung lesions
• Technique optimization and radiation reduction of fluoroscopic procedures and CT
• Radiographic evaluation of child abuse fractures
• Pediatric imaging international outreach
• Deep learning applications in pediatric radiology

Education

The section of Pediatric Radiology is responsible for the education of residents (3-4 months during the course of a Radiology residency) in the Yale Department of Radiology as well as from the Radiology residency programs of Bridgeport Hospital. The section is also involved in multidisciplinary educational conferences along with faculty and trainees from ppediatric surgery, urology, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric pulmonology, and neonatology.

There is an ACGME accredited Pediatric Radiology Fellowship available each year. This individual receives training in all aspects of Pediatric Radiology in collaboration with the Yale Nuclear Medicine, Neuroradiology, Musculoskeletal Radiology, and Interventional Radiology sections.

Faculty from the Pediatric Radiology section spend a substantial amount of time teaching and supervising radiology residents and fellows each day. They also spend time teaching the medical students and pediatric residents rotating on the service.

A compilation of teaching cases and case-format electronic tutorials on Pediatric Imaging is available for the rotating trainees.

Faculty from the Pediatric Radiology section are regularly invited to lecture at national, foreign and supranational venues, including recurring invitations at the largest pediatric radiology conferences in North America, Latin-America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

For a comprehensive list of all our section publications click here