Director

Co-Director

Faculty

Duration

Level 1 (General Training)
1 month/ at least 50 procedures

Level 2 (Specialized Training)
At least 3 months/150
procedures (at least 50 interpreted independently)

Patient
Population

• reduced blood flow
• tumors or other forms of cancer
• infection

Clinical Responsibilities

Level 1
Completion of all didactic training required for Level 1 training
Interpreting at least 50 procedures (“mentored interpretations”)
Mastering Level 1 skills

Level 2
Completion of all didactic training required for Level 2 training
Interpreting at least 150 procedures (with a minimum of 50 procedures interpreted independently)
Mastering Level 2 skills

General
Fellows are required to maintain a log of all MRI procedures performed and/or interpreted. Evaluation will be in part based on this procedure log
Cardiology Fellows are expected to actively participate in MR teaching conferences and are encouraged to participate in the CMR journal club which takes place at 5 PM every last Monday of the month.

Fellows on the MRI rotation will be responsible for conducting and interpreting the stress portion of the procedure analogous to their experience in nuclear cardiology.
Cardiology Fellows on call must be available (5 PM to 8 AM CMR working days) to cover any unexpected emergencies which may occur after hours at the CMR center. Such occurrences are expected to be extremely rare and will not significantly affect the overall on call responsibilities of Cardiology Fellows.

Involvement in a research project is desirable, but not mandatory.

Required Training

Level 1
Didactic lectures from a CMR-trained physician and/or physicist on the basic physics of nuclear magnetic resonance in general and CMR in particular
Attendance at the physics course at the annual ISMRM meeting is required.

Level 2
Lectures with supportive reading on essential skills; discussion of the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, utility, costs, and disadvantages of all of the techniques to be reviewed.

Essential Skills

Level 1 Skills
A working knowledge of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) methods:

• Imaging of structure and tissue characterization (T1, T2, spin echocardiography, gradient echocardiography, and fat suppression)
• Imaging of function (cine and tagged cine magnetic resonance imaging)
• Volumetric imaging of mass, volumes, and ejection fraction (cine magnetic resonance imaging)
• Flow imaging (velocity encoded techniques)
• First-pass perfusion and delayed contrast-enhancement imaging (gadolinium-enhanced techniques)
• Magnetic resonance angiography (vascular and coronary)
• Basic magnetic resonance that is clinically applicable spectroscopy methods, including:
• pulse and acquire
• DRESS (depth-resolved surface coil spectroscopy)
• ISIS (image selected in-vivo spectroscopy)
• CSI (chemical shift imaging)
• CMR image analysis

Level 2 Skills

• Imaging of structure and tissue characterization (T1, T2, spin echocardiography, gradient echocardiography, and fat suppression)
• Imaging of function (cine and tagged cine magnetic resonance imaging)
• Volumetric imaging of mass, volumes, and ejection fraction (cine magnetic resonance imaging)
• Flow imaging (velocity encoded techniques)
• First-pass perfusion and delayed contrast-enhancement imaging (gadolinium-enhanced techniques)
• Magnetic resonance angiography (vascular and coronary)
• Basic magnetic resonance, clinically applicable spectroscopy methods, including pulse and acquire, DRESS (depth-resolved surface coil spectroscopy), ISIS (image selected in-vivo spectroscopy), and CSI (chemical shift imaging)
• CMR image analysis

The Fellow will also develop a basic understanding of indications, contraindications, and advantages and limitations of the various techniques.

Educational Outcomes

Cardiology Fellows successfully completing Level 1 of this training will demonstrate:

• a basic understanding of MRI physics
• competency in Level 1 skills
• an understanding of the indications, contraindications, and advantages and limitations of these various techniques

Cardiology Fellows successfully completing Level 2 of this training will demonstrate:

• a thorough understanding of MRI physics
• proficiency in Level 2 skills
• a thorough understanding of the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, utility, costs, and disadvantages of these techniques

COCATS & Accreditation

Training content and goals are based on Guidelines for Credentialing in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR). JCMR 20; 293:233-234

Contact Info

Steven Lloyd, MD, PhD, Director
Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Gwen Timmons, Office Administrator
Boshell Building, Room D-101 (Cardiac MRI)
1808 7th Avenue South
Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0012

Email Address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Office Phone: (205) 934-9736
Office Fax: (205) 975-1952