Garza-Berlanga, Andres ESchool of Medicine |
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As a child, I saw the medical profession as magical. Doctors using substances and knowledge to help the suffering regain their health. In high-school, as part of a biology class, we were being thought about the cardiovascular system physiology. To me, to be able to understand the human body was so rewarding that I decided what I wanted to apply for medical school that day. I told my parents about it. My parents seemd skeptical and recommended me to spend a summer shadowing my uncle, who was a surgeon, so that I could have a better idea of what the profession was like. My uncle got me access as an observer within the resident surgical program at one of the main hospitals of the city. The Surgery Program Director was a friend of him and I was scheduled to shadow residents with the same type of schedule, from 6am to 6-7pm, morning rounds, OR observer time, call in the ER as observer, etc for the summer. As the time came,I enrolled in Medical School looking to become a Surgeon. During the first years of medical school I continued to visit the surgery program on vacation time. Then, as a senior student in a Vascular Surgery rotation, I found about Interventional Radiology. The minimally invasive interventions, using imaging technology and small gadgets. I saw it as the surgery of the future, less aggressive, creative, and with big potential to improve patient care in the future. So, I applied to Radiology. My program facilitated elective rotations, and I was able to contact and got accepted to do 6 month elective rotation in Interventional Radiology in IR fellowship program of RUSH University, in Chicago. During that elective rotation I was offered an IR fellow position by that program for the next year, I immediately accepted it! Now, I consider myself fortunate to be able to work and do what I do. |
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| 4/2017 - Present | Radiology Medical Director | LifeCare Hospital of San Antonio, Radiology, San Antionio, TX |
| 4/2017 - Present | Staff Radiologist - Interventional Radiology | LifeCare Hospital at San Antionio, Radiology, San Antonio, TX |
| 7/2011 - Present | Staff Radiologist - Interventional Radiology | University Heath System, Radiology, San Antonio, TX |
| 7/2011 - Present | Assistant Professor | UTHSCSA, Radiology, San Antonio, TX |
| Year | Degree | Discipline | Institution |
| 2011 | Clinical Fellowship | Vascular and Interventional Radiology | RUSH University Medical Center Chicago , IL |
| 2009 | Residency | Diagnostic Radiology | Universidad de Monterrey At Christus-Muguerza Hospital Monterrey , Mexico |
| 2004 | Internship | Internal Medicine | LSU Medical Center at Shreveport Shreveport , LA |
| 2001 | MD | Medicine | Universidad de Monterrey Monterrey , Mexico |
Endovascular - Peripheral Vascular Disease- I have expertise in endovascular techniques to improve arterial or venous flow by using angioplasty, stents, thrombolysis, atherectomy and other vascular recanalization techniques. |
Endovascular Interventionalist - Embolization- I perform endovascular embolization procedures to control hemorrhage in a variety of situations like traumatic vascular injury at a tertiary trauma center, acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage from upper and lower gastrointestinal track diseases, hemorrhage from broncho-pulmonary disease extension in patients with massive hemoptysis, hemorrhage form medical procedures complicated by vascular injury. |
Endovascular Intervetnions - Vascular Access- I use the image guidance techniques to better achieve successful vascular access for different medical necessities, even in the most difficult vein depleted patients. I can secure a multitude of different types of venous access, from PICC to large bore and tunneled catheters and port catheters. I can use the imaging techniques to evaluate vascular access malfunction of hemodialysis fistulas or failing catheters and work to improve and prolong the patency of the vascular access using multiple techniques of catheter reposition, angioplasty, vessel recanalization, thrombolysis and vessel reconstruction with stents. |
Genito-urinary Interventions- I have expertise in preforming minimally invasive image guided drainage and urine diversion techniques to help patient with urinary obstructive disease and other urine collective system injuries. I can perform endovascular procedures to relief Urinary Tract Symptoms of obstruction or hemorrhage from benign and malignant prostate disease by embolizing the vessels that supply the gland to reduce its volume and relieve the urinary obstruction or hemorrhage symptoms. |
Interventional - Palliative- I use image guidance and minimally invasive techniques to improve symptoms of patients with debilitating diseases. I can place different types of enteral support feeding tubes in patient with feeding problems like Gastrostomy and Gastrojejunostomy feeding or decompression tubes. I preform ablation and/or cementoplasty at insufficient or pathologic bone fractures to stabilize the bone and reduce the pain symptoms. |
Interventional Oncology- In the management of patients with cancer, I have expertise in loco-regional treatment options to eliminate or reduce tumor size by using a variety of loco-regional minimally invasive treatment options that include ablation of tumors using image guidance and minimally invasive techniques to guide ablation needles or probes percutaneous into the tumor site safely, I can deliver higher doses of chemotherapy drugs or radiotherapy particles safely directly into the tumors using the feeding artery that supplies the tumor avoiding systemic agent distribution and toxic side effects. I am participant of multidisciplinary Tumor Boards for the evaluation and management of patients with cancer. |
Interventionalist- In the management of patients with a variety of clinical conditions using minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions techniques. I perform image guided percutaneous biopsies in almost all parts of the human body using minimally invasive techniques that help obtain more specific diagnosis that can guide better treatments. I treat patients with sepsis and infected collections and abscess using the image techniques to guide drains percutaneously at almost all parts of the body. Draining the infected material from the body help patients clear and recover from the infection faster. |
Interventionalist - Obstetrics and Gynecology- I perform endovascular interventions that effectively correct menorrhagia symptoms from uterine fibroid disease that can be done in outpatient basis, without need of surgical interventions. I perform endovascular treatments for other less frequent diseases like pelvic congestion syndrome from insufficient gonadal-pelvic venous disease and emergency endovascular interventions to control bleeding for oncologic and postpartum uterine hemorrhage complications. |
Interventionalist - Organ Transplant- I have expertise in interventions like Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts (TIPS) and Balloon Retrogade Transvenous Obliteration (BRTO) for the treatment of Portal hypertension, visceral varicose bleeding, refractory ascites in patient with advanced chronic liver disease and liver transplant candidates. Working in a busy Liver, Kidney and Lung Tranplant Center, I have expertise in adjuvant percutaneous therapies that aid in the success and management of the management for the transplant patients like vascular evaluation and interventions of venous or arterial complications of the transplant, percutaneous access for evaluation of the ductal system, treatment of vascular or ductal connection strictures and obstructions, drainage of postsurgical collections using minimally invasive techniques with image guidance. |
Abstract |
| Lopera JE, Kroma G, Garza-Berlanga A, SURI R, Wholey M. Use of cone beam CT for complex biliary interventions; 2015 Feb. (Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (Supplement); vol. 26, no. 2Supl). |
| Chamarthy M, SURI R, Kroma G, Garza-Berlanga A, Lopera JE. Correlation of treatment response pathological response in explanted livers DEB-TACE and interstitial ablation treatments for HCC; 2015 Feb. (Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (Supplement); vol. 26, no. 2Supl). |
| Haq A, Heeter Z, Lopera JE, SURI R, Garza-Berlanga A, Kroma G. Mesocaval Shunt creation by Interventional Radiology: Percutaneous and endovascular approaches in an illustrated case-based review; 2015 Feb. (Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (Supplement); vol. 26, no. 2Supl). |
Journal Article |
| Garza-Berlanga AE. Interventional Radiology: Interventions and Techniques in Trauma Curr Trauma Rep 2016 Aug;:159-164. |
| Lopera JE, Katabathina V, Bosworth B, Garg D, Kroma G, Garza-Berlanga A, SURI R, Wholey M. Segmental liver ischemia/infarction after elective transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation: Clinical Outcomes in 10 patients Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 2015 Jun;26(6):835-841. |
| Lopera JE, Speeg KV, Young C, Garg D, Michalek J, Chen Y, Kroma G, SURI R, Garza-Berlanga A. Effect of liver volume in morbidity and mortality after elective transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt Gastrointestinal Intervention 2014 Dec;3(2):93-97. |