Development of Pediatric Radiology in Austria

Abstract

Austria is one of the countries of Europe where pediatric radiology is still not acknowledged as an official medical subspeciality with a standard curriculum for radiologists and/or pediatricians. While before and after World War II radiodiagnostic procedures in the major children’s hospitals were usually performed by pediatricians interested in and somewhat trained in X-ray diagnostics, this changed in the 1970s and 1980s, together with the introduction of new and more sophisticated imaging technologies. At the three University Children’s Hospitals (Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna) full-time positions for doctors with complete specialization in radiology together with extensive experience in pediatric radiology do exist. Moreover, three persons (Drs. Gassner, Weiss, and Vergesslich) completed the full curriculum for specialization in pediatrics as well as radiodiagnostics, which means a total of 12 years of postgraduate training!