MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Ansaar Rai, M.D., and Jeffrey Carpenter, M.D., WVU Medicine neurointerventional radiologists and professors in the WVU School of Medicine Department of Radiology, Neurosurgery, and Neurology have obtained neuroendovascular surgery (NES) subspecialty certification from the Society of Neurological Surgeons Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST).
CAST functions under the Council of the Society of Neurological Surgeons and is responsible for accreditation of subspecialty certification and for developing subspecialty training requirements.
Physicians like Dr. Rai and Dr. Carpenter, who completed their primary board certification in diagnostic radiology and neuroradiology and have had additional training and extensive documented experience in neuroendovascular surgery, are eligible for CAST certification.
Having CAST-certified faculty is the first step in certifying the Endovascular Neurosurgery Fellowship Program, which is currently being offered jointly through WVU’s Departments of Neurosurgery and Radiology.
Because the certification process is rigorous, there are only 130-150 NES CAST-certified physicians in the country. CAST certification for Neuroendovascular Surgery is endorsed by the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery and is important for credentialing physicians performing these procedures, such as endovascular stroke interventions, endovascular treatment of aneurysms and carotid disease, as well as other head and neck and spine procedures.
WVU Medicine Neurointerventional Services are part of the integrated clinical neurosciences program and offer the complete gamut of minimally invasive procedures.