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PublicationsCIRSE InsiderSIRMIT BH: CIRSE’s newest group member

SIRMIT BH: CIRSE’s newest group member

January 24, 2025

The Society of Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SIRMIT BH) recently became CIRSE’s newest group member.

Founded in November 2023, the new society hopes to promote IR awareness and education in the region. CIRSE representatives attending SIRMIT BH’s first congress, which took place late last year, spoke to the society president, Dr. Deniz Bulja, to learn about the foundations of the society and what they hope to gain from CIRSE membership.

SIRMIT-BH members, including society President Dr. Deniz Bulja, fourth from the right.
Dr. Bulja speaks at the first SIRMIT-BH meeting in Nov. 2024.

CIRSE: We are happy to welcome SRMIT BH as CIRSE’s newest group member! Can you tell us about the history of your society?

Bulja: On November 25, 2023, we officially established the Society of Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This marks a pivotal step for our healthcare system. The society’s mission is to advance interventional radiology and minimally invasive procedures, ensure continuous education for healthcare professionals, and advocate for the rights and interests of our members.

Our goal is to bring cutting-edge medical techniques closer to patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to strengthen the healthcare framework in our region and Europe. We’re incredibly excited about the opportunities this will create for innovation and collaboration in this field of medicine.

CIRSE: What is the training scheme for medical students or radiologists who wish to become IRs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and what was your personal pathway to IR?

Bulja: Currently, there is no structured training programme for medical students in IR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, we are optimistic about collaborating with CIRSE to raise awareness about the existence of IR and the incredible opportunities it offers for both current and future medical practice.

As an assistant professor of radiology, I strive to showcase the beauty and transformative power of IR to my students, hoping to inspire them to explore this field. On a national level, the ministry of health is working on developing an IR curriculum to establish it as a distinct subspecialty for radiologists.

In the four centres across Bosnia and Herzegovina where interventional radiology departments currently operate within radiology clinics, whether or not an individual trains in IR largely depends on their own motivation to pursue it . Physicians must seek theoretical knowledge and develop practical skills to meet the growing patient demand for IR treatments. This mirrors my own journey to becoming an interventional radiologist, which was similar to the path followed by the other twelve founding members of our society.

Some centres have developed a specific field of IR expertise, such as interventional oncology or peripheral vascular interventions. However, only Sarajevo and Mostar currently have both the staffing and equipment needed to provide comprehensive IR services.

CCU Sarajevo’s IR department.
More of the IR department at CCU Sarajevo. 

As a society, we are committed to addressing this disparity. With the support of our members and international colleagues, we aim to expand the full scope of IR services across all four major centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ensuring equitable access to this transformative field of medicine.

CIRSE: How does SIRMIT BH inform patients about IR treatments? How aware of IR is the general population?

Bulja: As a newly established society, we used our first year to organize a congress that we, as members, saw as a significant opportunity to promote interventional radiology among healthcare professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through this event, we aimed to showcase the expertise of regional specialists in this field and highlight how they address patients’ needs in everyday clinical practice.

Looking ahead, our society plans to dedicate a section of its website to providing comprehensive information about the interventional radiology treatments available in IR departments across Bosnia and Herzegovina. We believe that neither healthcare professionals nor the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina are fully aware of the wide range of conditions that can be effectively and minimally invasively treated through interventional radiology procedures. This section will provide detailed explanations of treatment indications and will serve as a guide for patients in Bosnia and Herzegovina seeking expert assistance at national centre(s) equipped to perform specific interventional radiology procedures. It is intended to support individuals with conditions potentially treatable through interventional radiology or those referred to an interventional radiologist for specialized care.

The IR department at CCU Banja Luka.
CCU Mostar’s IR department.

CIRSE: Why did SIRMIT BH decide to become a CIRSE group member? Can you tell us what CIRSE initiatives you and your members are involved in/hope to become involved in?

Bulja: One of our first actions upon establishing SIRMIT BH was applying for CIRSE group membership. We firmly believe that collective membership will significantly enhance the expertise of all individual members in various areas of interventional radiology, particularly through the regular participation of our members in CIRSE-organized congresses. Additionally, we are confident that our members taking part in ESIR courses will contribute to the equitable development of interventional radiology across all centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina by bringing us in line with other European countries.

Currently, most interventional oncology services in the country are provided by the clinical centres in Sarajevo and Mostar. We anticipate that participation in IASIOS (The International Accreditation System for Interventional Oncology Services) activities will further support the balanced growth of this field throughout the country. Lastly, we see CIRSE group membership as an opportunity to engage in CIRSE-supported or planned research initiatives, fostering collaboration and innovation in interventional radiology.

CIRSE: What are your hopes for the future regarding collaboration between CIRSE and SIRMIT BH? How do you see this collaboration helping the development of IR in your region?

Bulja: We believe there are numerous opportunities to collaborate with this pan-European organization of interventional radiologists, fostering the further and uniform development of interventional radiology in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of these efforts, our society plans to host a two-day EVAR/TEVAR school in the fall of 2025, including a hands-on component. This initiative aims to address the geographical disparities in access to these services within the country. We look forward to establishing our first official collaboration with CIRSE for this, seeking the society’s support in designing an effective course format and we hope for recommendations of the most appropriate speakers to make this program valuable not only for our members but also for vascular surgeons.

A speaker presents at SIRMIT BH’s first congress.
ETF representatives took part in the panel session focusing on the new generation of IRs.

The first congress of the SIRMIT BH

Reflecting the increased demand for IR in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the SIRMIT BH organized its first congress from November 15-17, 2024, in Sarajevo. The congress provided a platform for the exchange of experiences, presentation of scientific and professional achievements in IR, and extensive discussions on the popularization of the field. Topics included vascular and non-vascular interventional radiology, interventional oncology, and minimally invasive procedures related to pain therapy or gastrointestinal and genitourinary pathology, as well as post-therapy and rehabilitation management of patients with special reference to patients with acute ischemic stroke.

During the congress, ETF Subcommittee members Dr. Melita Golubica and Dr. Kristian Karlović and ETF project manager Rešid Dževdetbegović, took part in the panel session titled “The new generation of interventional radiologists: Is IR attractive enough – experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The panellists shared their experiences with the prospective interventionalists and discussed what can be done to promote the field further. The attending delegates also had the chance to learn more about CIRSE’s initiatives for medical students and IR trainees.

CIRSE greatly looks forward to future collaborations with SIRMT BH, and to welcoming the new society’s members to all CIRSE events throughout 2025 and beyond.