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spine a nd t he k idney," Dr. McDa niel e x pl a i n s . " I h a d a on e - c e nt i m e t e r w indow in which to get a need le into the mass. The CT g uida nce a nd image o v e rl a y t e c h n olo g y a l lo w e d m e t o reconstr uct in 3 dimensions a nd pla n my needle path. I then superimposed a graphic onto live X-ray a nd lined up my needle exactly where it needed to be." The new equipment in the IR suite wa s selec t ed , however, not on ly for accuracy a nd precision, but a lso for its sig nif ica ntly low radiation dose. MINIMUM RADIATION, MA XIMUM SAFET Y " We a ll a re concerned about radiation safety and the effects of radiation, even with medica l imag ing, a nd we wa nt to minimize that as much as possible," says Dr. McDa niel. " This dedicated unit is bui lt to minimize radiation a nd uses built-in pediatric protocols to ensure that the absolute lowest dose of radia- tion needed is used to get the job done." Dr. McDa niel a lso ma ximizes sa fety by usi ng u ltra sonog raphy whenever p o s sible , e l i m i n a t i n g a l l r a d i a t ion e x p o s u r e . She a l s o of t en p er for m s procedu res, such a s joi nt i njections a nd GJ t ube s , w it hout sed at ion . I n 2015, 50% of Dr. McDaniel's procedures were performed without sedation, 20% required sedation, a nd 30% required genera l a nesthesia . W i t h h e r p e d i a t r i c t r a i n i n g , Dr. McDa niel is a lso focused on t he c h i ld 's a nd pa r ent s ' c onc er n s a nd involves the parents as much as possible. "With joint injections and GJ tube place- ment, the parents can usua lly be in the procedure room," explains Dr. McDaniel. "This results in less emotiona l distress for both the parent and child." W hen needed, child life specia lists a n d a p e d i a t r ic s e d a t ion t e a m a r e a lso ava ilable. EXPANDED OPTIONS Recently, Dr. McDa niel brought A kron Children's Venous Access Team, which places per iphera l ly inser ted centra l catheters (PICCs), under the IR program umbrel la . She a lso co-directs A k ron Children's Vascula r A noma lies Clinic with Ananth Murthy, MD, Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at A kron Children's. Nick Ng uyen, MD, Der matolog y, a nd Heat her Sprouse, CNP, are part of this multidisciplinary program that is dramatica lly changing how vascular malformations are treated. "IR has a lways been a n innovative field that embraces new technology and pushes the envelope," says Dr. McDaniel. "Our priority is always to make improve- ments in the way we treat our kids and get them back to being kids aga in a s soon as possible. Having a dedicated IR suite allows us to grow our program and provide more options for minimally invasive techniques in children." Dr. Rubin agrees. "We have seen tre- mendous growth under Dr. McDaniel's leadership and, with the opening of our dedicated interventional radiology suite, we are excited about future opportunities to grow our program and expand our reach." F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t A k r o n C h i l d r e n ' s I n t e r v e n t i o n a l R a d i o l o g y P r o g r a m , v i s i t www.akronchildrens.org/cms/pediat r ic _radiology/index .html . To refer a patient, call 330 -543- 0834 . n This fluoroscopic image was obtained during sclerotherapy of a lymphatic malformation in the chest wall of an infant, which would have otherwise required extensive surgery to remove the entire lesion. This CT image taken during a treatment procedure shows a needle probe going through the tumor, which was then cryoablated, causing cell death in the tumor. IMAGE COURTESY OF DR. JANICE MCDANIEL IMAGE COURTESY OF DR. JANICE MCDANIEL 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y