The British Society of Neuroradiologists’ (BSNR) annual meeting is the premier meeting for UK neuroradiologists. In recent years, the scientific meeting has been supplemented by a “trainee day”. The 2017 trainee day & conference were held from the 14th to the 16th of September at Queen’s College, University of Cambridge. The trainee day can be attended either in conjunction with, or independent from, the annual conference.
The 2017 trainee day,organised by Dr Tilak Das (consultant neuroradiologist based at Addenbrooke’s Hospital), featured a series of highly adept speakers. Prof Jonathan Gillard challenged the accepted thinking on stroke pathophysiology, Dr Ian Craven gave an engaging lecture on making the transition to Consultant life, and Mr Thomas Santarius used 3D glasses to demonstrate brain anatomy and neurosurgical techniques. Following the morning of lectures, six workshops were held in the afternoon. These sessions gave trainees the opportunity to benefit from quality, interactive teaching on a variety of neurological conditions.
Priced at only £50, the trainee day is incredible value for money, especially considering that the fee included attendance at an evening garden party and dinner!
The BSNR meeting itself was just as memorable as the trainee day. The meeting was a two day bonanza of scientific research on a variety of diagnostic and interventional topics, interspersed with lectures from invited speakers. Professor David Menon, Consultant Anaesthetist at Addenbrooke’s, delivered a convincing case for thinking of traumatic brain injury as a chronic rather than an acute disease. Conference attendees were also treated to a lecture from Mr Henry Marsh, Consultant Neurosurgeon and bestselling author of Do No Harm, who gave an honest account of his life’s work, and addressed the difficulty of owning up to one’s shortcomings. Day two began with Dr Stavros Stivaros, Consultant Neuroradiologist from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, who delivered a compelling lecture on the in vogue issue of artificial intelligence in radiology. The final invited speaker, Professor Paul Fletcher, Consultant Psychiatrist from the University of Cambridge, had the audience captivated with an incredible presentation on perceptual biases. The meeting was brought to a close with a fiendishly difficult, but highly educational, neuroimaging quiz courtesy of Dr Daniel Scoffings, Consultant Neuroradiologist from Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
In summary, the 2017 British Society of Neuroradiologists annual conference & trainee day were fantastically organised, informative, and enjoyable. Attendance at this meeting is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in neuroradiology, regardless of whether you are a Radiologist, a Neurosurgeon, or a Neurologist!
Learning points from the British Society of Neuroradiologists’ trainee day and annual conference:
- Provision of a 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy service is an important initiative for the optimal treatment of stroke patients
- Artificial intelligence is likely to be integrated into clinical practice in the near future, but it does not pose an existential threat to diagnostic or interventional neuroradiologists
- Henry Marsh’s example of self-reflective practice provides a lesson for us all.
