Dr. Brookner pointed out that these dialogues are crucial because of the large amount of distrust that many LGBTQ patients have toward the healthcare system.
“Physicians need to keep in mind that they’re working at a disadvantage,” Dr. Brookner said. “You’re working with a population that distrusts you, is afraid of being discriminated against, and might have already delayed seeing a doctor for months or years because of that fear. You need to approach those patient interactions with a lot of empathy, care and understanding.”
The future of IR Dr. Brookner said her presentation at SIR 2024 sparked an interesting group discussion about the future of IR and its role in LGBTQ medicine.
“There was a lot of discussion on how we can work with our primary care physicians, pediatricians and surgeons to create a setting almost similar to a tumor board,” Dr. Brookner said. “We have women’s health clinics with IRs, gynecologists and primary care physicians. So how can we make a setting like that, but for LGBTQ medicine? How will our colleagues know IRs are able and willing to treat LGBTQ
“We have women’s health clinics with IRs, gynecologists and primary care physicians. So how can we make a setting like that, but for LGBTQ medicine?” —BRITTANY BROOKNER, MD
patients unless we tell them and make the eff ort to build these relationships?”
It’s a process that would require immense cross-specialty collaboration— but one that could be fruitful for both practices and patient lives.
“I truly believe that IR has the skill, innovation and excitement necessary to treat this population,” Dr. Brookner said. “We can help our patients, both by treating their pain and managing their disease, but also by helping them get closer to living life in the bodies they deserve to be living in—and I think that’s a very exciting and powerful use of IR tools and knowledge.”
References
1. Winter S, Diamond M, Green J, et al. Transgender people: Health at the margins of society. Lancet. 2016; 388:390–400.
2. Salati SA, Alsulaim L, Alharbi MH, Alharbi NH, Alsenaid TM, Alaodah SA, Alsuhaibani AS, Albaqami KA. Postmastectomy pain syndrome: A narrative review. Cureus. 2023 Oct 20;15(10):e47384. doi: 10.7759/cureus.47384. PMID: 38021812; PMCID: PMC10657609.
3. Bouck EG, Grinsztejn E, Mcnamara M, Stavrou EX, Wolberg AS. Thromboembolic risk with gender-affi rming hormone therapy: potential role of global coagulation and fi brinolysis assays. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2023 Sep 2;7(6):102197. doi: 10.1016/j.rpth.2023.102197. PMID: 37822706; PMCID: PMC10562871.
4. Cervi A, Balitsky AK. Testosterone use causing erythrocytosis. CMAJ. 2017;189(41):E1286–E1288. doi:10.1503/cmaj.170683.
5. Kirkpatrick D, Stowell J, Gramstad F, Brow E, Fishback S, Lemons S. Creating a transgender- inclusive interventional radiology department. JVIR. 2019;30(6):928–931. doi:
doi.org/10.1016/j. jvir.2018.12.033.
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