Abdominal Imaging Fellowship

Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), our fellows have achieved highly successful careers in academic and private practices.

Up to 9 fellows train with us each year. We invite you to continue your radiology training at the University of Pennsylvania, the first U.S. school of medicine and one of the nation's top-ranked radiology departments in NIH funding.

Program Overview

This 1-year course of training consists of 13 blocks, each 4 weeks long:

5 blocks on MRI
- Includes MR experience in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular imaging
- 3 on Ultrasound
- 3 on abdominal CT
- 1 on GI/GU

Each section combines a broad array of didactic teaching with high-volume clinical learning opportunities. There also is time for electives and research.

Fellowship Rotations

Ultrasound Rotation

On the ultrasound (US) rotation, abdominal imaging fellows learn to:

Interpret high-resolution US findings to evaluate many different types of abdominal pathology
Systematically use and interpret color Doppler to answer questions in abdominal imaging cases
Apply new techniques, such as 3D ultrasound, expanded field of view and power Doppler, in imaging various abdominal disorders
Understand how to avoid screening mistakes for emergent conditions, such as ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, scrotal torsion and acute cholecystitis

Fellows will also learn protocols for performing ultrasound-guided interventional procedures, such as liver mass biopsy, thyroid nodule biopsy, transrectal and transvaginal abscess drainage, and percutaneous nephrostomy.

Research interests address fetal anomalies, 3D sonography, thyroid disease, prostate carcinoma, sonohysterography, ovarian torsion and radiofrequency tumor ablation.

Vascular examinations with color, power and duplex Doppler sonography are frequently performed. These are used to assess liver transplants, TIPS evaluation, portal hypertension, renal transplants, impotence, extremities, scrotal and adnexal masses.

We perform more than 18,000 ultrasound examinations annually. Equipment includes:

Philips HDI 3000/5000 and IU22
Philips Envisior in Emergency Department
PACS workstations, with each US examination room and every ED patient room connected to our network

Teaching conferences enrich the rotation with:

Daily case discussions during readout
Monthly follow-up conference
Weekly Radiology Grand Rounds
Monthly journal club
Monthly abdominal imaging conference (US, CT, MRI)
Monthly Greater Delaware Valley Ultrasound Society
Monthly Pennsylvania Radiologic Society

Computed Tomography (CT) Rotation

On the computed tomography (CT) rotation, abdominal imaging fellows learn to:

Develop proficiency in interpreting CT studies of the abdomen and pelvis, from gastrointestinal CT, genitourinary CT and oncologic CT to acute abdominal conditions and trauma
Know the indications and technique of CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy
Analyze and evaluate clinical research in body CT
Become skilled in new techniques in body CT, including 3D analysis of cases using an independent 3D workstation, CT urography and CT colonography
Teach and mentor radiology residents in training

Research interests examine optimization of helical and multidetector scanning techniques, and helical and multidetector noise and artifacts. Major clinical projects include work in appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, renal mass characterization and outcomes research.

We perform more than 41,000 body CT exams annually. Equipment includes:

Siemens Sensation 64
Siemens Definition Dual Source (2)
GE Lightspeed
Siemens Sensation 16 (2)
Siemens Sensation 10
Siemens Definition AS40
PACS workstations (4), with monitor and dual monitor
TeraRecon Thin Client access at each reading station
GE Advantage Windows workstation with advanced vessel analysis and volume rendering software
Siemens Leonardo 3D workstations
Vital Images Vitrea 2 workstation
dedicated 3D Imaging Laboratory, equipped with Siemens MMWP, GE Advantage, Vital Images Vitrea, TeraRecon and Osirix workstations

Teaching conferences on the rotation include daily case discussions during readout and a monthly follow-up conference.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Rotation

On the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rotation, abdominal imaging fellows learn to:

Understand the most recent technologic advances and diagnostic capabilities of MRI
Establish criteria for patient selection and the appropriate use of MRI
Incorporate established and newer MRI techniques into their practice
Improve their use of MRI for numerous clinical indirections [RW1]
Become skilled in the latest advances in specialized MRI techniques, such as MR angiography, MR arthrography, MR cholangiopancreatography, and cardiac, prostate and breast MRI

Research interests address clinical applications, coil development and technique optimization for extremity, thoracic and abdominal MRA, breast MRI, cardiac MRI, and clinical spectroscopy.

Clinical research includes bolus chase MRA, osteoporosis, prostate MR, female pelvis, and renal MR including MR urography.

We perform more than 13,000 clinical MR exams annually at HUP, plus a large number of additional abdominal, pelvic, breast and musculoskeletal cases via teleradiology. Equipment includes:

Clinical 1.5T scanners (8) including Siemens Avanto, Essenza, Espree and GE Signa magnets
Clinical whole-body 3.0T scanners (3) including Siemens Verio (2) and Tim Trio
Whole-body research magnets (3) 1.5, 3.0 and 7T - Siemens Sonata, Tim Trio and Magnetom
Small-bore animal systems (2), 4.7T, 9.4T
PACS workstations (4), monitor and dual monitor
TeraRecon Thin Client access at each reading station

Teaching conferences enrich the rotation with weekly GI/GU, MRA and musculoskeletal conferences and monthly follow-up conference. The MR learning center contains instructional videos and large body/musculoskeletal/neurological teaching files.

Excellence in Abdominal Imaging

Our goal is to train productive, confident body imagers, who will attain the highest skills in established techniques and cutting-edge imaging protocols.

Learn about requirements and how to apply »

Contact

Jill E. Langer, MD
Abdominal Radiology Program Director
Attn: Stephanie Johnson
Department of Radiology
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-662-3046
Fax: 215-349-5627
Email: stephanie.johnson@uphs.upenn.edu

Department of Radiology