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Expert Insights Series: IR in Pain Management 2025

This deep dive into advanced interventional pain management is designed to equip interventional radiologists with the knowledge and skills needed to perform a range of procedures for treating patients with pain.

May 14, 2025 - Jul 10, 2025
Online
Mid career Advanced career Pain Management Expert Insights series
$695.00

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About

This deep dive into advanced interventional pain management is designed to equip interventional radiologists with the knowledge and skills needed to perform a range of procedures for treating patients with pain. The availability and evolution of these procedures have rapidly expanded in the last decade in response to growing demand.  

This comprehensive, self-paced, 7-week course includes a blend of lectures, podcasts, case-based learning modules, technique descriptions, evidence and supplementary materials focused on practice building. 

Course objectives

  • Learning objective 1: Logically organize and describe the rapidly expanding number of available procedures to treat patients with pain in interventional radiology.   
  • Learning objective 2: Provide context and practice building guidance for interventional radiologists interested in meeting growing demand for advanced interventional pain procedures, including associated clinical care.   
  • Learning objective 3: Provide selection criteria, efficacy evidence, and technique descriptions of procedures performed in interventional radiology for the management of patients with pain.   

Curriculum

Week 1: Spine injections and augmentations: Epidurals (transforaminal, midline, cervical, lumbar, CT, fluoro), plexus injections, synovial cysts, intercostal nerves, facet injections, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, implantable augmentation devices.  

Faculty: John Smirniotopoulos, MD, and Charles Gilliland, MD, FSIR     

  • Learning objective 1: Understand the importance and utility of a dermatomal map and be able to isolate the patient’s affected culprit dermatome(s) using a physical exam and a thorough pain history such that interlaminar ESI, transforaminal ESI, facet injections, synovial cyst interventions and more may be used to specifically manage pain generators.   

  • Learning objective 2: Discuss the indications, technique, evidence, evolution and application of spinal augmentation techniques.  

  • Learning objective 3: Understand the relevant anatomy, technique and tools required to perform the variety of blocks in and around the spine.   

Week 2: Spine ablations: BVNA, medial branch, pulsed RF   

Faculty: Junjian Huang, MD   

  • Learning objective 1: Understand indication and technique for medial branch block and ablation.   

  • Learning objective 2: Understand indication and technique for basivertebral nerve ablation.   

  • Learning objective 3: Discuss differences between standard, cooled and pulsed RF.   

Week 3: Tumor ablations: Spine, non-spine   

Faculty: Alan Alper Sag, MD   

  • Learning objective 1: Discuss indications, tools and procedure for vertebral body malignancy.   

  • Learning objective 2: Discuss indications, tool, and procedure for extra-spinous malignancy.   

  • Learning objective 3: Briefly discuss practice building with oncology, orthopedics and palliative care to grow this field.   

Week 4: Nerve interventions: Neoplastic, non-neoplastic (knees, hips, shoulders, cryo, alcohol via cross sectional guidance)   

Faculty: Felix Gonzalez, MD, and J. David Prologo, MD, FSIR, 

  • Learning objective 1: Discuss indications and procedure steps for genicular nerve block/ablation, hip nerve block/ablation, sacroiliac joint nerve block/ablation, shoulder nerve block/ablation.   

  • Learning objective 2: Discuss nerve ablations and neurolysis for pudendal, intercostal, mixed nerves, as well as celiac/splanchnic plexus, superior hypogastric plexus, ganglion impar in the setting of cancer.    

  • Learning objective 3: Explore the mechanisms of effect of neurolytic options (cryo, alcohol, heat), their pros and cons, applications, and outcomes—including potential neuroregeneration) 

Week 5: Spine Implantables—Stimulators and pumps

Faculty: J. Dana Dunleavy, MD, and Dr. Jorge Zoltchenko   

  • Learning objective 1: List the options for spinal implantables (stimulators and intrathecal pumps). Understand the indications and workup of patients who may benefit from them.   

  • Learning objective 2: Understand technique for placement of a spinal cord stimulator and the relevant follow-up.   

  • Learning objective 3: Understand technique for placement of a intrathecal pump and the relevant follow-up.   

Week 6: Biologics and embotherapy    

Faculty: Osman Ahmed, MD 

  • Learning objective 1: List the different injectable biologic agents (platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, stem cells, amniotic membrane-based products, etc.) and their applicable targets/disease states.    

  • Learning objective 2: Explore beyond our borders how biologics are being used and marketed through famous athletes and/or celebrities and potential evidence-based applications for the interventional radiologist.    

  • Learning objective 3: Identify the disease states (and the relevant clinical workup), embolization targets and procedural techniques for MSK embolotherapy.   

Week 7: Practice building    

Faculty: Shantanu Warhadpande, MD  

  • Learning objective 1: Describe the opportunities for interventional radiologists to enter the pain management space.   

  • Learning objective 2: Delineate techniques for building referral patterns to interventional radiology for the management of pain.   

  • Learning objective 3: Provide mitigation strategies to manage competition, address demand and establish kinetic longitudinal care models for an advanced interventional pain practice.  

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