To apply for certification, you can contact the Secretariat of the Turkish Cerebrovascular Diseases Society (turk.bdhd@gmail.com or bdhd@bdhd.org.tr) or Prof. Dr. Ayça Özkul (2025-2028), Head of the Interventional Neurology Working Group of the Turkish Neurology Association (ozkulayca@hotmail.com).
CRITERIA FOR CENTERS AUTHORIZED TO PROVIDE INTERVENTIONAL NEUROLOGY TRAINING
1. The primary goal of training is to achieve the pre-determined objectives of the program. A combination of theoretical and practical applications must be provided to ensure competency.
2. The entire training program must be conducted at centers approved by the Turkish Neurological Society Interventional Neurology Working Group (TNS-INWG) and/or the Turkish Cerebrovascular Diseases Society (TCVDS). Centers must have neurological intensive care units and must be accredited as Stroke Centers by the Ministry of Health. The working group and/or TCVDS are responsible for the supervision of these centers.
3. All interventional neurologists providing training must be approved by TNS-INWG and/or TCVDS.
4. Training program requirements approved by INWG and/or TCVDS must be met. To qualify as a training center, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
a) The training center must perform a minimum annual volume of at least:
i. One hundred (100/year) intracranial neurointerventional cases
ii. Fifty (50/year) extracranial neurointerventional cases
iii. Eighty (80/year) thrombectomy cases
iv. One hundred (100/year) DSA cases
b) The Interventional Neurology training center must have at least 2 (two) interventional neurology specialists. The center director must be an interventional neurology specialist with at least 5 (five) years of experience in neuroangiographic and neurointerventional procedures following certification. The second specialist at the center must hold at least a Certificate 1 (Ischemic Stroke Endovascular and Secondary Endovascular Prevention Treatment Certification) in neurointerventional procedures.
c) The training supervisor of the teaching center must be an Interventional Neurology specialist who meets the training criteria.
d) The training supervisor of the teaching center must be a member of TCVDS.
e) The training center must be a comprehensive stroke center licensed by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health.
f) The training supervisor at the center must have at least 5 (five) years of Neurology specialty experience.
g) Training centers are inspected every two years by INWG and/or TCVD.
Training centers will be published on the TNS-INWG and/or TCVDS websites.
APPLICATION CRITERIA FOR ISCHEMIC STROKE ENDOVASCULAR AND SECONDARY ENDOVASCULAR PREVENTION TREATMENT (CERTIFICATE 1)
This certificate covers training in acute endovascular treatment of ischemic stroke and endovascular treatment in secondary and primary stroke prevention (carotid stent angioplasty, vertebral, subclavian stenting and angioplasty, intracranial stenting).
Training Eligibility Criteria
1. Candidates applying to the Interventional Neurology Certification Program must have completed their neurology clinical specialty training and fulfilled their public service obligation.
2. Neurology specialists who will receive training in diagnostic and interventional procedures should preferably have prior experience in neurological intensive care and cerebrovascular diseases. For neurologists working as residents and/or specialists in centers approved as Comprehensive Stroke Centers by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health, the training duration is 12 consecutive months. Candidates must include documentation demonstrating at least 12 months of prior work in cerebrovascular diseases and neurological intensive care with their application. For candidates who have not worked in neurological intensive care and cerebrovascular diseases and have not worked as a resident or specialist (at least 12 months) in a Ministry of Health Stroke Center, the training duration for (Certificate 1) is 15 consecutive months. The training center director may extend the training period by an additional three months (18 months).
3. After completing the training, the candidate becomes eligible for certification upon success in the theoretical examination.
4. Reference letters from at least 2 Neurology faculty members must be uploaded to the application system.
5. Outside of this training pathway, if the candidate interventional vascular neurologist will work as a second interventional neurologist at a center where an experienced (at least 2 years post-training) interventional neurologist is present, and the candidate will remain at the center where they trained, they must receive at least 1 year of mentorship at their center followed by at least 3 months of training at one of the designated interventional neurology training centers determined by the Turkish Neurological Society (TNS) Interventional Neurology Study Group (INWG) and/or the Turkish Brain Vascular Diseases Society (TCVDS). The supervising interventional neurologist at the approved training center may extend the training period if deemed appropriate. The candidate interventional neurologist may receive their certificate after working for at least 6 months following the completion of training at the center where they will permanently practice.
6. The decision to accept a candidate into the Certification (Certificate 1) program will be made by the "Turkish Neurological Society Interventional Neurology Working Group (TNS-INWG)". Working in a city or region without a comprehensive stroke center is a priority criterion for acceptance into the program. However, the candidate's academic background, references, and English language proficiency are also important for evaluation.
7. The candidate must be a member of TCVDS both at the time of application and during training.
CERTIFICATION CRITERIA
1. Must have performed at least 100 DSA procedures as primary operator at the training center. DSA procedures include carotid, intracranial, vertebral, and spinal diagnostic procedures.
2. Must have participated in a total of 100 intracranial interventional procedures (with at least 60 mechanical thrombectomy) as primary and/or secondary operator.
3. Must have participated in a total of 50 extracranial interventional procedures as primary and/or secondary operator.
4. The candidate must submit a case log showing procedures performed at the training center, signed by the training supervisor, to the working group chairperson.
5. The candidate must have submitted proof of attendance for theoretical modular system courses required to become an interventional neurologist to the INWG group chairperson and the training supervisor at their center.
6. If the candidate is working at a stroke center at the time of application, they must include a reference letter from the responsible interventional neurologist at their stroke center.
7. Trainees are expected to attend certain courses and training meetings at least once per year during training and until the certification examination. These include: Turkish Neurological Society Interventional Neurology Working Group (TNS-INWG) courses, Interventional Neurology courses, and the Brain Vascular Diseases Congress/Stroke Academy.
8. After completing interventional neurology training and earning the certificate, every interventional neurologist's certificate will be renewed every 5 years by the Turkish Brain Vascular Diseases Society (TCVDS) Stroke Center Accreditation and Certification Committee, provided the following conditions are met. Failure to meet renewal criteria may result in revocation of the certificate.
Attendance at scientific meetings organized by the Turkish Neurological Society Interventional Neurology Working Group (TNS-INWG) and/or Turkish Brain Vascular Diseases Society (TCVDS) must be at least 4 times in 3 years.
Eligible events include: congress, meeting, webinar, etc.
Stroke Congress
Interventional Meeting
Neurology Congress Working Group Meeting
WINCC (World Interventional Neurology and Neurosurgery Congress)
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION CRITERIA
1. Must have performed at least 100 DSA procedures as primary operator at the training center. DSA procedures include carotid, intracranial, vertebral, and spinal diagnostic procedures.
2. Must have participated in a total of 100 intracranial interventional procedures (with at least 60 being mechanical thrombectomy) as primary and/or secondary operator.
3. Must have participated in a total of 50 extracranial interventional procedures as primary and/or secondary operator.
4. The candidate must submit a case log showing procedures performed at the training center, signed by the training supervisor, to the working group chairperson.
5. The candidate must have submitted proof of attendance for theoretical modular system courses required to become an interventional neurologist to the INWG group chairperson and the training supervisor at their center.
6. If the candidate is working at a stroke center at the time of application, they must include a reference letter from the responsible interventional neurologist at their stroke center.
Trainees are expected to attend certain courses and training meetings at least once per year during training and until the certification examination. These include: Turkish Neurological Society Interventional Neurology Working Group (TNS-INWG) courses, Interventional Neurology courses, WINCC (World Interventional Neurology and Neurosurgery Congress) and the Brain Vascular Diseases Congress/Stroke Academy.
