The Kinked Wire

“I started off simply by volunteering to do things and being interested, but I didn’t have a mentor, per say.” – Brian Funaki, MD, FSIR

In this episode of the Kinked Wire, host Thomas Tullius, Jr., MD, speaks with his former attending Brian Funaki, MD, FSIR, on his career progression, from trainee to incoming JVIR co-editor in chief.

SIR thanks BD for its generous support of the Kinked Wire.

Contact us with your ideas and questions, ...

This recording features audio versions of the December 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

Articles

• Association between Age of Kidney Transplant and Hemorrhagic Adverse Events Following Transplant Kidney Biopsy (Read)
• A Prospective Single-Arm Trial of Genicular Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: Clinical and Biomarker Outcomes (Read)
• Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for C...

Mark H. Knelson, MD, thought his IR career had come to an early end—until he discovered locum tenens work.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Knelson heard that one of the radiology groups in his town was short on IRs. Because it was so close to his home—approximately 13 minutes—he offered to help, including taking call as needed.

In  the audio version of "The unexpected locum" (Fall 2025 IR Quarterly), senior edito...

“I think the landscape of healthcare is changing, and rural healthcare understands the value of IR—in some senses more than the urban setting does.” - Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR

On this episode of the Kinked Wire, host Mark L. Lessne, MD, FSIR, speaks with Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR, on how she handles working in a small and rural practice in Hawaii, lessons she learned while paving her own path and how she created an IR LLC...

This recording features audio versions of the November 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

Articles

• Prospective Multicenter Observational Study of Silent Brain Infarction following Transradial Hepatic Intervention (The MOSAIC Study)
• First-in-Human Evaluation of a New Resorbable Microspherical Embolic Agent for Genicular Artery Embolization to Treat Pain Secondary to Knee Osteroarthritis
• Impr...

“Kindergarten skills, right? If you’re a pain to be around, you can be the best clinically, but no one wants to hang out with you at 2 a.m. when that bleed comes in.”- Viknesh Kasthuri, MD

In this episode, host Marie Hamel and guest Viknesh Kasthuri, MD, a resident at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, discuss all your burning questions about the match process, including how to prepare and how to cope with the stres...

This recording features audio versions of the October 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

Articles

• Effectiveness of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation for the Treatment of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome Read
• Adverse Events of Tunneled Central Venous Catheters versus Totally Implantable Venous Access Devices in Pediatric Oncology: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Read
• Genicular ...

There are a lot of choices we make in our lives and I mean im very happy with the choices I've made in mine but ... this whole you can have it all, I was probably pretty lonely and putting everything I had into work. SIR Past President, Laura Findeiss, MD, FSIR

The Society of Interventional Radiology Women in Radiology Committee are hosting a series of mentorship conversations amongst medical students, residents, fellows a...

This recording features audio versions of September 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

• Interventional Radiology Reporting Standards and Checklist for Artificial Intelligence Research Evaluation (iCARE) Read
• Preservation of Fertility by Direct Puncture Embolization of Acquired Uterine Arteriovenous Fistulae in Women of Childbearing Age with Life-Threatening Hemorrhage Read
• Magnetic Resonance Ima...

In this special mini episode of the Kinked Wire, EDGE Chair Brian Funaki, MD, FSIR, shares a preview of what you can expect out of this year's meeting in San Diego.

Be sure to listen to the entire episode to find out how you may be eligible for additional savings on your meeting registration. 

Contact us with your ideas and questions, or read more about about interventional radiology in IR Quarterly magazine or SIR's Patien...

“Being able to offer those services locally can make a huge difference in quality of life.”- Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhD

In this episode, host Rajshree Singh, MD, speaks with Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhD, about small and rural IR practices, why so many are closing and what the specialty can do to keep IR services available in the areas that need it most.

Related resources:

• Read more about small and rural practice models in IR Quarterly. Re...

"The time to decide what you're going to do outside of the IR suite when it gets to that point in time is not the week before, because you want to be able to hit the ground running."  Charles E. Ray, Jr, MD, PhD, FSIR

In this episode, host Merve Ozen, MD, speaks with Charles E. Ray, Jr., MD, PhD, FSIR, about his path into leadership positions, navigating transitions early in your career and the evolution of the S...

This recording features audio versions of August 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

• Transarterial Embolization for Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Read
• Transperineal MR Imaging–Guided Prostate Biopsy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study on Safety and Effectiveness Compared with Transrectal Biopsy Read
• Histopathologic Response and Oncologic Outco...

"This was really the first of its kind where we had individual physicians as part of these societies give answers locally, what IR service is like and what education is like in their place of practice and where they trained. This was really the first time we were able to get firsthand information ... It really is something we need to know so that we can target efforts as an IR community."—Justin Guan, MD

In this Journal of...

Not everyone in an underserved hospital is going to want to do all advanced procedures. And so fortunately, one of the things we have been able to do, as Dr. Ian Wilson coined, is we work where we're needed and live where we want to." -- J. Dana Dunleavy, MD

In this episode, host Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhD, speaks with J. Dana Dunleavy, MD, about the triumphs and tribulations of small and rural IR practices, particularly...

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This recording features audio versions of July 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

• Optimal Timing of Percutaneous Cholecystostomy across Different Grades of Acute Cholecystitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study Read
• Gallbladder Cryoablation for Calculous Cholecystitis Initially Treated with Percutaneous Drainage: A Prospective Trial in High-Risk Patients Read
• Comparative Prognostic Uti...

"The best quote that I still say (and I say it to my son all the time) is as Ernie says, 'Not every day can be the best day of your life.' And it's so true. So, if you're having a bad day, Ernie Ring said ... it's okay." —Maureen P. Kohi, MD, FSIR, recipient of the WIR Champion Award

In this episode, host Natosha N. Monfore, DO, speaks with 2025 Women in IR (WIR) Champion Award winner Maureen P. Ko...

This recording features audio versions of June 2025 Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) abstracts:

• Comparison of Bypass Surgery versus Endovascular Interventions for Peripheral Artery Disease through Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Read
• The Incidence and Consequences of Endovascular Technical Failure in Patients with Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: Results from the Best E...

In this Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) audio episode, JVIR blog Editor Peter Li, MD, MS, uses artificial intelligence (AI) platform ElevenLabs to produce a podcast discussion on the November 2024 JVIR paper, "Using Voxel-Based Dosimetry to Evaluate Sphere Concentration and Tumor Dose in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Yttrium-90 Radiation Segmentectomy with Glass Microspheres."

Related resour...