Interventional radiology – current practice and future developments

139 Interv. Cardiol. (2014) 6(2), 139–144 ISSN 1755-5302 Can you tell us a little bit about your background & what first drew you to the field of cardiovascular imaging & vascular interventional radiology? I graduated from Edinburgh Medical School (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK) in 1982 and went on to train in medicine and cardiology. I then become a research fellow at the Non-Invasive Unit at Killingbeck Hospital Leeds (Leeds, UK) and was involved in the development of cardiac Doppler ultrasound, which was central to my thesis into diastolic filling patterns of the left ventricle. Back in 1988, we were also the first unit in the UK to introduce a transesophageal echo service, which was a very exciting development for cardiac imaging. At that time, there was immense development in the imaging of cardiac structures and, at the same time, rapid development in cardiac intervention. My interest in cardiovascular imaging and intervention continued to grow and after completing my research I undertook 5 years of training in radiology at Bristol Royal Infirmary (UK). After that, I spent a further year’s fellowship at Green Lane Hospital in Auckland (New Zealand), which was the major cardiovascular center for the South Pacific. I took up my consultant post in 1995 and have specialized in cardiovascular imaging and intervention, becoming increasingly involved in the management of aortic and peripheral vascular disease.