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Abdominal Imaging Fellowship

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

Excellence in Abdominal Imaging

Our goal is to train productive, confident body imagers, who will attain the highest skills in diagnostic interpretation and reporting, enabling them to serve as valued specialty consultants.

The Abdominal Imaging Radiology Fellowship program’s principal objectives aim to:

  • Expose each fellow to a wide range of pathology across all imaging modalities
  • Emphasize the importance of protocol design in optimizing imaging exams
  • Discuss the latest evidence-based guidelines for the management of imaging findings
  • Teach the technical skills required to perform image-guided biopsies
  • Teach trainees a system of self-learning that will allow them to continuously adapt to an ever-changing field of medical science

Program Overview

This one-year course of training consists of 13 blocks, each four weeks long. A typical fellowship year consists of the following rotations:

  • 5 blocks on MRI 
    • including subspecialty tumor board assignments with attending
  • 3 blocks on Ultrasound
  • 3 blocks on Body CT
  • 1 block elective time
  • 0.5 blocks of image-guided biopsy and colonography
  • 5.5 blocks on MRI

 

Each section combines a broad array of didactic teaching with high-volume clinical learning opportunities. The fellows' educational experience also includes approximately five to seven small group seminars per month, presented by the faculty in their subspecialty area of expertise and divisional monthly journal club. The fellows also are active participants in a wide range of multidisciplinary conferences. There is also academic time for fellow research.

Abdominal Fellowship Rotations

Rotations focus on established techniques as well as cutting edge imaging protocols to optimize image quality and provide diagnostic interpretation at the subspecialist level.

Computed Tomography (CT) Rotation

Equipment

  • Over 41,157 Body CT exams done annually
  • (1) Siemens Somatom Force (Perelman)
  • (1) Siemens Definition AS40 (Perelman)
  • (1) Siemens Definition AS+ 128 (Perelman)
  • (1) Siemens Definition Flash (HUP)
  • (1) Siemens Siemens Definition AS+ 128 (Radnor)
  • (1) Siemens Siemens Definition AS+ 128 (interventional procedure room) (HUP)
  • (1) Siemens Definition Edge (HUP ED)
  • Four monitor and dual monitor PACS workstations
  • TeraRecon Thin Client access at each reading station
  • GE Advantage Windows workstation with advanced vessel analysis and volume rendering software
  • Siemens SyngoVia thin client
  • Vital Images Vitrea 2 workstation
  • Dedicated 3D Imaging Laboratory, equipped with Siemens MMWP, GE Advantage, Vital Images Vitrea, TeraRecon, and Osirix workstations

Clinical and Research Interests

  • Optimization of helical and multidetector scanning techniques
  • Helical and multidetector noise and artifacts
  • Major clinical projects, including work in appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, renal mass characterization, and outcomes research.

Fellowship CT Rotation Goals

  • Develop proficiency in the interpretation of CT studies of the abdomen and pelvis, incorporating the following subspecialty areas: gastrointestinal CT, genitourinary CT, oncologic CT, and acute abdominal conditions/trauma.
  • Learn the indications and technique of CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy
  • Analyze and evaluate clinical research in body CT
  • Learn new techniques in body CT, including 3D analysis of cases using an independent 3D workstation, CT Urography, CT Colonography, CT Enterography, and Dual Energy Body CT
  • Develop the ability to function as a teacher and mentor to radiology residents in training

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Rotation

Equipment/Exams

  • Over 13,000 clinical MR exams/year at HUP, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and our community radiology centers.
  • 8 clinical 1.5T scanners including Siemens Avanto, Essenza, Espree and General Electric 1.5 T optima systems.
  • 4 clinical whole body 3.0T scanners including two Siemens Verio, Skyra and Tim Trio systems.
  • 3 whole-body research magnets 1.5, 3.0 and 7T Siemens Avanto, Tim Trio and Magnetom, respectively.
  • 2 small bore animal systems (4.7T, 9.4T)
  • Multiple monitor and dual monitor General Electric PACS workstations.
  • TeraRecon Thin Client access at each reading station.

Clinical and Research Interests

  • Clinical applications, coil development and technique optimization for abdominal and pelvic MRI.
  • Clinical research interests include prostate MR, female pelvis, liver, adrenal and renal MR, and use of MR elastography vs US elastography.

Fellowship MR Rotation Goals

  • Understand the most recent technologic advances and the diagnostic capabilities of MRI
  • Establish criteria for patient selection and the appropriate use of MRI
  • Incorporate both established and newer MRI techniques into their practice
  • Improve their utilization of MRI for numerous clinical indirections
  • Learn the latest advances in specialized MRI techniques such as diffusion-weighted images, MR elastography and dynamic contrast enhanced imaging.

Ultrasound Imaging 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, 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

Extraordinary experience in Abdominal Imaging

Up to nine fellows train with us each year. The large size of our program allows for each individual fellow to personalize their educational experience through the use of elective time and by close mentorship from our outstanding faculty. We invite you to continue your radiology training with Penn Radiology, one of the nation's top-ranked radiology departments.

Learn More and Apply

Program Director

Matthew A. Morgan, MD

Matthew A Morgan, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology

Contact Us

Coordinator: Rachel Alisio
Department of Radiology
Division of Abdominal Imaging
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce Street/1 Silverstein
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Contact: rachel.alisio@pennmedicine.upenn.edu  |  215-662-3046
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