Mission Statement
The section performs and interprets imaging studies on children, attempting to achieve the best diagnostic yield at the lowest possible radiation and intervention to the patient.

We combine compassionate clinical work with high academic standards - performing research and teaching residents, medical students and colleagues.

Local expertise
Great emphasis is placed on developing the highest quality sonography aided by spectral and color Doppler. Many childhood diseases can now be diagnosed non-invasively and without sedation or radiation by sonography and Doppler alone.

Imaging of flow dynamics in the portal system both in the native and transplanted liver, sonography in the evaluation of the pediatric chest and sonography in musculoskeletal disorders have been the subject of recent clinical research and continue to be evaluated.

The section of pediatric radiology in collaboration with the section of nuclear medicine perform state-of-the-art evaluation of the urinary tract in children, including low - dose fluoroscopic voiding cystourethrography and lower dose radionucleide cystography.

Evaluation of the kidneys is predominantly using sonography for anatomy and, well-tempered renal scintigraphy for evaluation of renal function and obstruction as well as renal parenchymal scintigraphy (DMSA or glucoheptonate) for the detection of renal scarring and pyelonephritis.

Body Computed tomography and MRI studies are protocoled, monitored and interpreted by the pediatric radiologists using the general departments equipment, within 50 yards of the section of pediatric radiology.

Faculty
David K. Yousefzadeh, M.D.
Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics

Katherine Feinstein, M.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology

Mario Zaritzky , M.D.
Assistant Professor of Radiology

Facilities and Equipment

The Section of Pediatric Radiology inpatient facility is located in the Wyler Children's Hospital on the first floor. You reach it immediately at the main entrance to the children's hospital. Pediatric Radiology reception is at the main Pediatrics reception desk at the entrance. The section has its separate file room, lounge and patient waiting area. In addition, outpatient studies are performed on the 3rd floor of the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine.

The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital Pediatric Radiology offers Chicago area's best imaging equipment for children, confirming the key role radiology plays in guiding care for children.

The section performs diagnostic conventional radiography, low-dose digital fluoroscopy, sonography with spectral and color Doppler, as well as sonographically guided interventional procedures. Pediatric radiologists monitor and interpret pediatric body CT and MRI scanning procedures.

Clinical work
The Section of Pediatric Radiology performs an average of about 40,000 imaging studies per year. About 1,500 additional pediatric studies are performed in CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and interventional radiology. About 3,600 sonograms are performed a year.

The Wyler Children's Hospital has 153 pediatric beds including a 22 pediatric intensive care unit and 36-bed neonatal unit.

These, along with active pediatric surgery, orthopedics, liver transplantation, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, urology, nephrology and cardiology account for a large, varied and complex pediatric case load.

Research
Research interests include pediatric sonography, Doppler, new applications of CT software, computer-aided diagnosis in pediatric radiology and outcome analysis comparing sonography with CT in the emergency work-up of chest abnormalities in children.

A number of new research proposals are under way. The main areas of interest represented in those proposals are sonography and Doppler - their use in diagnosis of chest disorders, abdominal trauma, vascular imaging and hemodynamics; sonography and Doppler of the infant hip. Imaging of pulmonary metastatic disease.

We participate in two national grant proposals - The National Wilm's Tumor Stage 5 and a pediatric urology/nephrology project on renal stones.

Education and Seminar Schedule
We participate in the noon conference schedule in the department with a dedicated pediatric radiology slot every Monday from Noon - 12:45, in Q-207.

Sectional conferences take place every Monday and Thursday at 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. in the section's reading rooms. Residents, medical students and rotating pediatrics residents participate actively in the conferences. The primary responsibility for the preparation of these conferences are the faculty's. However, every resident in radiology is responsible for preparing a teaching file a week for the section and present them. Medical students and pediatric residents, if they rotate for two weeks or more, are responsible each for a short presentation during conference at the end of their rotation.

A mini-course in pediatric radiology, covering some central subjects of the specialty is provided during August as noon conferences. Lectures in Emergency Radiology in Pediatrics are given in June during noon conference as preparation for the soon to be second year residents to take call.

Most of the teaching is done at the view box daily. While in the section one of the two rotating radiology residents is responsible for procedures, guided by the attending; the other is responsible for inpatient reading and intensive care unit imaging.

Interdepartmental teaching conferences with a strong Radiology contribution include:

Pediatric nephrology/urology/radiology - weekly, Tuesdays at 8:45 in the Surgery Conference room.

Pediatric surgery grand rounds - biweekly, 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month at 9:00 a.m. in the Surgical Pathology Conference Room.

Pediatric oncology - biweekly, 3:30 pm, C-400.

Pediatric Chief of Service Round, Grand Rounds.