Aim To review data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interventional radiology (IR) services. Materials and methods A systematic review of the available studies was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Results A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. IR caseload reduced between 16.8–80%, with elective activity affected more than emergency work. Trainees also experienced a 11–51.9% reduction in case volumes and many were redeployed to critical care. IR departments re-organised operations and personnel, and many continued to offer 24/7 services and support critical care areas through redeployment of staff. The majority of studies did not report any major issues with the availability of the protective equipment and that local or national governing body or radiology society guidelines were followed. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic reduced case volumes and training opportunities. IR departments showed flexibility in service delivery. The lessons learned offer novel insights into how services and training can be reorganised to ensure that IR continues to thrive.

Background The interventional radiology (IR) trainee recruitment in the UK is lagging behind the pace of service expansion and is potentially hindered by underrepresented undergraduate curricula. Understanding the contributing factors that encourage junior doctors and medical students to consider an IR career will help the IR community to better focus the efforts on recruiting and nurturing the next generation. Methods Anonymised questionnaires on undergraduate and postgraduate IR exposure were distributed to attendees of five UK IR symposia between 2019 and 2020. Results 220 responses were received from 103 (47%) junior doctors and 117 (53%) medical students. Prior IR exposure strongly correlates with individuals' positive views towards an IR career (Pearson's R = 0.40, p \ Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (

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