Pillar 05
Imaging-led understanding of neurovascular disease, patient selection, multidisciplinary pathways and supervised exposure to neurointerventional practice — from neurovascular anatomy and stroke imaging through to aneurysms, vascular malformations and service development.
This pillar is orientational and observational. It does not, and must not, imply independent neurointerventional competence. Advanced topics require consultant review.
Where to start — the shared baseline for students, interns and junior MOs.
Stroke imaging & intervention
How acute stroke care is organised — from presentation and imaging to the thrombectomy pathway — as a system, with the emphasis on recognition, timing and coordination.
Why it matters. Stroke is a system, not a single procedure. Registrars across specialties benefit from understanding how the pathway fits together.
Learning objectives
Working knowledge expected across the FC Rad Diag(SA) registrar years.
Neurovascular anatomy & imaging
Intracranial and extracranial cerebrovascular anatomy, venous anatomy and collateral circulation, and the vascular variants that shape treatment-planning discussion — read across CTA, MRA and DSA and communicated clearly to the team planning intervention.
Why it matters. A shared, accurate anatomical vocabulary across CTA, MRA and DSA is the entry point to every other topic in this pillar, from stroke imaging to aneurysm and AVM planning.
Learning objectives
Stroke imaging & intervention
How non-contrast CT, CTA and perfusion concepts identify early ischaemic change, large-vessel occlusion and collateral status, and inform patient selection for thrombectomy — including posterior-circulation patterns, stroke mimics and post-treatment imaging.
Why it matters. Imaging selection is what turns 'stroke systems of care' from a concept into a real decision for a real patient — registrars across specialties encounter these images long before any interventional discussion.
Learning objectives
Deeper, often observational exposure for senior registrars and consultants developing an IR interest.
Aneurysms & SAH
Recognising subarachnoid haemorrhage patterns on CT and CTA, and the imaging features of aneurysm detection, morphology and branch relationships that inform multidisciplinary treatment-planning discussion — plus the surveillance of vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischaemia and treated aneurysms.
Why it matters. Aneurysmal SAH is a time-critical, multidisciplinary emergency; understanding how imaging shapes the conversation between radiology, neurosurgery and neurointervention is core observational learning for this pillar.
Learning objectives
AVMs & vascular malformations
An orientation to arteriovenous malformations and dural arteriovenous fistulas — nidus, feeding arteries and venous drainage, high-risk imaging features, and the venous-reflux patterns that shape multidisciplinary treatment planning across CTA, MRA and DSA.
Why it matters. These are complex, low-volume, high-stakes lesions where observational multidisciplinary exposure — not procedural involvement — is the right level of registrar learning.
Learning objectives
Service & career development
An introduction to head-and-neck vascular lesions and the imaging work-up that supports preoperative embolisation planning alongside surgical colleagues — an example of neurointervention's reach beyond primary cerebrovascular disease.
Why it matters. Head-and-neck vascular work illustrates how neurointervention supports other surgical disciplines, broadening registrars' sense of the specialty's scope and its service-development relevance.
Learning objectives
Every pillar connects to the training and career pathways that follow registrar learning — from supervised exposure to certification and beyond.