Evaluation of a pediatric fluoroscopy training module to improve performance of upper gastrointestinal procedures in neonates with bilious emesis

Background: Life-threatening midgut volvulus usually occurs in infants with malrotation and requires rapid diagnosis and surgical treatment to prevent bowel necrosis and death. However, because of the low frequency of upper gastrointestinal studies performed in infants younger than 1 month, many diagnostic radiology residents finish their residency training having limited or no opportunity to perform or observe an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series for evaluation of bilious emesis in a neonate. Objective: To determine whether adding simulated upper GI series on neonates with bilious emesis to the curriculum improves residents’ skill and accuracy in diagnosing midgut volvulus. Materials and methods: We assessed the performance of 12 residents in training whose curriculum included simulated upper GI series (study group) and 10 traditionally trained residents (control group) using a multiple-choice test, checklist procedure evaluation and diagnostic accuracy scores for 3 randomly selected simulated upper GI series. We then compared the results from the study group that had simulation curriculum to the scores for the control group using the Mann–Whitney test. We also analyzed the scores for the study group obtained prior to and after simulation curriculum using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: There was a significant difference in test scores (study group median = 84.5%, control group median = 67.2%, P=0.001), overall diagnostic accuracy (study group median = 100%, control group median = 50%, P=0.011) and checklist evaluation (study group median = 83.3%, control group median = 70.8%, P=0.025) for the residents in the study group who completed simulation curriculum compared with the control group. There was also a significant difference in multiple-choice test scores for the study group before and after completion of simulation curriculum (before simulation curriculum median = 56.9%, after simulation curriculum median = 84.5%, P=0.002), checklist evaluation (before simulation curriculum median = 58.3%, after simulation curriculum median = 83.3%, P=0.002) and overall diagnostic accuracy scores (before simulation curriculum median = 50%, after simulation curriculum median = 100%, P=0.024). Conclusion: Radiology residents had significantly higher scores on a multiple-choice test, checklist procedure evaluation and overall diagnostic accuracy after completing a structured pediatric fluoroscopy curriculum that included simulated neonatal upper GI series and when compared to a control group of traditionally trained residents.