To brace interventional radiology for the future, the CIRSE leadership defined a Vision for the Future of IR, which was first presented at the CIRSE Annual Congress 2023 (watch Prof. Binkert’s speech here). This new vision, split into three priority areas with defined timeframes for implementation, aims to encourage a modern IR practice across Europe and beyond, regardless of the specialty status of IR in the respective countries. The three priority areas were defined as, firstly, a focus on clinical services and patient care, secondly, a focus on therapies and treatment and, thirdly, a focus on training and excellence in IR. While the three areas are of equal importance and will also play out differently or in parallel in different countries, CIRSE’s strategy is to give them a certain temporal dimension to allow their successful implementation in a stepwise approach, leading to a more robust practice and standing of IR in the coming years.
CIRSE Vision for the Future of IR
Clinical services and patient care
The focus on clinical services and patient care is based on the notion that IRs shall be clinically involved in patient management and patient care, including participation in multidisciplinary team (MDT) decision making. They shall also have access to resources and infrastructure as any other clinical/ surgical specialty. Staff planning shall consider the specific requirements for IR practice in addition to Diagnostic Radiology.
The Clinical Services in IR Task Force, led by Prof. Andreas Mahnken, developed a wide range of educational and awareness raising projects supporting enhanced clinical involvement by interventional radiologists.
Therapies and treatment
The focus on therapies and treatment is based on the idea that IRs shall have focus (almost) exclusively on interventional radiology in their daily practice. The involvement in diagnostic radiology should be centred around IR patients and consultations during MDTs. Purely diagnostic radiology services to other clinical disciplines should be minimized as much as possible.
The Therapies and Treatment Task Force, headed by Prof. Thomas Kröncke, was launched in 2025.
Training and excellence
When it comes to the focus on training and excellence in IR, IRs shall strive to be well-trained physicians, able to master high complexity levels of interventional therapies. Education for interventional radiology shall include sufficient time for clinical training allowing IRs to become the best doctor they can be, for their patients. Recognition of IR training can be achieved through the European Board of Interventional Radiology (EBIR), in the absence of a national exam or serve as such.
The focus on training and excellence in IR will be prioritised starting in Q4/2026, stay tuned!
European endorsement of the CIRSE Vision
Since 2024, CIRSE has been organizing the European IR leadership meeting with the presidents and board members of European group member societies in a workshop-like interactive format, back-to-back with the ET conference.
On May 31, 2024, then CIRSE President Christoph Binkert and the CIRSE Executive Committee hosted this half-day interactive workshop in Vienna, and discussed the new vision with the European national societies, allowing for a unique exchange and endorsement of this major strategic reorientation by all European societies. The interactive component also allowed to better assess the variety of IR practices across Europe, while certain issues could be identified as common to all.
The main take-home points from the meeting include the following:
- IRs need to be clinically involved, and the best way to start is to see your patients before and after the procedure.
- Increasing the visibility of IR is key, and IRs should strive to be more present with their patients and other medical disciplines.
- Some European countries are pioneering IR practice with governments – encouraging the growth of the discipline.
- CIRSE is at the forefront of supporting excellence in IR, through training and educational offers but also the EBIR. IR training pathways are likely to evolve in the future, to ensure that we keep attracting bright minds who will excel in their clinical work and further evolve the discipline.
The second edition of this meeting took place on June 10, 2025, in Porto/Portugal, hosted by CIRSE President Philippe L. Pereira and the Executive Committee. The meeting included interactive break-out sessions discussing on advantages and challenges of full-time interventional radiology; the best setup for staffing and resources for a full-time IR practice; and economic models that supports full-time IR.
Key take-home points:
- Full-time IR means increasing contacts with the patients, increasing the visibility of IR, and being the direct point of referral for GPs and other specialists.
- The landscape across Europe remains heterogeneous, and further efforts must be made to implement full-time IR practices. Major challenges remain, such as staff shortages and diagnostic workloads.
- Attracting the bright minds of tomorrow towards IR will be key for further growth. Demonstrating the unique appeal of IR to medical students can be a game changer, and CIRSE can support IR training pathways with many tools, even providing an IR certification in national languages
- Administrative autonomy remains a goal for all, with the important first steps focusing on admission rights and billing rights.
CIRSE is grateful to all national society representatives for joining this important endeavour and for their support and invaluable contributions.
Global support for clinical IR
Another milestone that was achieved in 2024 and that also supports the ideas of CIRSE’S vision is the publication of the Global Statement Defining Interventional Radiology—Have We Reached the Tipping Point?. This collaboration between CIRSE and SIR was led by Robert Morgan and Parag Patel and endorsed by 47 national and regional IR societies around the globe. The statement emphasizes the importance of IRs being clinicians delivering longitudinal patient care in conjunction with image-guided therapy and sets forth the essential elements of IR and continuing challenges facing the specialty.