Interventional radiology in Serbia

By Vladimir Cvetic
MD, TA, PhD, Interventional Radiologist
Head of Cardiovascular Radiology Department
Center for Radiology
University Clinical Center of Serbia

LinkedIn: Vladimir Cvetic

Since its formation in 2011, the Society of Interventional Radiologists of Serbia (SIRS) has been working to improve IR in Serbia and today it numbers 55 members.

Picture (to the right): logo of the Society of Interventional Radiologists of Serbia.

Most of Interventional Radiologists work in academic centers, such as the University Clinical Center of Serbia, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, University Clinical Center of Kragujevac and Nis, but also in the Institutes for Cardiovascular Diseases (Dedinje, Kamenica)  and  the Clinical Hospital Centers (Bezanijska Kosa, Zvezdara, Zemun), Military Medical Academy as well as in general hospitals (Valjevo, etc.).

This rapidly growing discipline attracts more and more young doctors and radiology specialists. In Serbia, IR is a one-year subspeciality, which is enrolled by Diagnostic Radiology specialists and is divided into non-vascular and vascular IR, working closely with surgery departments and are most often part of the surgical clinics. Interventional radiology has been recognized as the future of medicine by the Serbian Ministry of Health, therefore more and more funds have been invested in its development, enabling several modern IR centers to be opened in recent years.

Group picture: Cardiovascular Radiology Department, Center for Radiology, University Clinical Center of Serbia.

Since 2018, SIRS has joined CIRSE, which empowered the advancement of IR and further education of young and experienced Interventional Radiologists in Serbia. However, rapid progress and large number of patients impose a need for additional IR centers and Interventional Radiologists in all parts of our country, so further popularization and investments are necessary. Today we can safely say that IR in Serbia is on its exponential path of development, and it does not plan to deviate from there.