Suhny Abbara, M.D.

Suhny Abbara, M.D., is Professor of Radiology and Chief of the Cardiothoracic Imaging Division at UT Southwestern, and Chief of Cardiothoracic Imaging at Parkland Health & Hospital System. His clinical interests include cardiovascular imaging and lung cancer screening.

I am passionate about cardiothoracic imaging because of the positive impact it has on our patients' lives. It pinpoints medical conditions and enables the delivery of personalized, precision medicine.

Originally from Germany, Dr. Abbara received his medical degree from Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. He then completed his residency training in diagnostic radiology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and in surgery at the University of Hawaii Surgical Residency Program in Honolulu. He then received advanced training in cardiac imaging through a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Before joining the faculty of UT Southwestern in 2013, Dr. Abbara was Director of Clinical Cardiac Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Director of Education for the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Computed Tomography (CT) Program and an Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Research and clinical practice

Dr. Abbara focuses his research on cardiac CT and its uses in surgical procedures, identification of imaging biomarkers to predict post-procedure outcomes, and spectral detector CT. In the clinical setting, he specializes in thoracic imaging, cardiac MRI and cardiac CTA as well as coronary calcium scoring, an imaging test that helps determine whether an asymptomatic patient is at low, intermediate, or high risk for heart attack.

Dr. Abbara is an active member of numerous national and international societies, including the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, for which he serves on the executive committee and is the president elect (president 7/2018-2019), and the American College of Radiology, for which he chairs the Appropriateness Criteria expert panels on Cardiac Imaging. Dr. Abbara is past president of the Certification Board of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. He is also an active member of the American Roentgen Ray Society, American College of Radiology, Society of Thoracic Imaging, Dallas County Medical Society, North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging, Texas Radiological Society, Texas Medical Association and the Radiological Society of North America.

Educating, editing and lecturing

Dr. Abbara has authored or co-authored more than 275 peer-reviewed publications, six textbooks and numerous book chapters. He currently serves as Editor of Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a specialy publication of the Radiological Society of North America. He is the former Associate Editor of the Journal for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, and currently serves on the Editorial Board member for the Journal of Thoracic Imaging and other journals. Dr. Abbara has been invited to present lectures at an array of medical and educational institutions throughout North America, including Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Emory University in Atlanta, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, the University of Ottawa in Canada, Georgetown University, Ignacio Chavez National Heart Institute in Mexico City, the University of Toronto in Canada, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and the University of Colorado in Denver.

Medical School

Heinrich-Heine University (1995)

Internship

Heinrich-Heine University (1997), Vascular Surgery

Residency

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (2000), Radiology

Internship

University of Hawaii Integrated Surgical Residency Program (2001), Surgery

Residency

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (2002), Radiology

Fellowship

Massachusetts General Hospital (2003), Cardiac Imaging

• Cardiac Computed Tomography
• Identification of Imaging Biomarkers to predict post surgical and post minimally invasive procedure outcomes and to predict anesthesia outcomes
• Lung Cancer Screening and Early Detection
• Single Energy, Dual Layer Spectral Computed Tomography (CT) and Dual Energy CT

Featured Publications

ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) Acute Chest Pain-Suspected Pulmonary Embolism.

Kirsch J, Brown RKJ, Henry TS, Javidan-Nejad C, Jokerst C, Julsrud PR, Kanne JP, Kramer CM, Leipsic JA, Panchal KK, Ravenel JG, Shah AB, Mohammed TL, Woodard PK, Abbara S J Am Coll Radiol 2017 May 14 5S S2-S12

ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) Dyspnea-Suspected Cardiac Origin.

Vogel-Claussen J, Elshafee ASM, Kirsch J, Brown RKJ, Hurwitz LM, Javidan-Nejad C, Julsrud PR, Kramer CM, Krishnamurthy R, Laroia AT, Leipsic JA, Panchal KK, Shah AB, White RD, Woodard PK, Abbara S J Am Coll Radiol 2017 May 14 5S S127-S137

Spectral detector CT for cardiovascular applications.

Rajiah P, Abbara S, Halliburton SS Diagn Interv Radiol 2017 Mar

Spectral detector CT-derived virtual non-contrast images: comparison of attenuation values with unenhanced CT.

Ananthakrishnan L, Rajiah P, Ahn R, Rassouli N, Xi Y, Soesbe TC, Lewis MA, Lenkinski RE, Leyendecker JR, Abbara S Abdom Radiol (NY) 2017 Jan

Update on the Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Congenital Heart Disease.

Rajiah P, Tandon A, Greil GF, Abbara S Curr Treat Options Cardiovasc Med 2017 Jan 19 1 2

2016 SCCT/STR guidelines for coronary artery calcium scoring of noncontrast noncardiac chest CT scans: A report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and Society of Thoracic Radiology.

Hecht HS, Cronin P, Blaha MJ, Budoff MJ, Kazerooni EA, Narula J, Yankelevitz D, Abbara S J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr 2016 Nov

Coronary Artery Disease - Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS): An Expert Consensus Document of SCCT, ACR and NASCI: Endorsed by the ACC.

Cury RC, Abbara S, Achenbach S, Agatston A, Berman DS, Budoff MJ, Dill KE, Jacobs JE, Maroules CD, Rubin GD, Rybicki FJ, Schoepf UJ, Shaw LJ, Stillman AE, White CS, Woodard PK, Leipsic JA JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2016 Sep 9 9 1099-113

CAD-RADS™: Coronary Artery Disease - Reporting and Data System.: An Expert Consensus Document of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI). Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology.

Cury RC, Abbara S, Achenbach S, Agatston A, Berman DS, Budoff MJ, Dill KE, Jacobs JE, Maroules CD, Rubin GD, Rybicki FJ, Schoepf UJ, Shaw LJ, Stillman AE, White CS, Woodard PK, Leipsic JA J Am Coll Radiol 2016 Jun

CAD-RADS(TM) Coronary Artery Disease - Reporting and Data System. An expert consensus document of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI). Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology.

Cury RC, Abbara S, Achenbach S, Agatston A, Berman DS, Budoff MJ, Dill KE, Jacobs JE, Maroules CD, Rubin GD, Rybicki FJ, Schoepf UJ, Shaw LJ, Stillman AE, White CS, Woodard PK, Leipsic JA J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr 2016 Jun

Radiation exposure from medical imaging must not be taken out of context.

Rajiah P, Abbara S Trends Cardiovasc. Med. 2015 Apr

 Featured Books

Problem Solving in Cardiovascular Imaging: Expert Consult - Online and Print, 1e

Suhny Abbara MD and Sanjeeva P Kalva MD (Ed.) (2013). Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier Saunders

Diagnostic Imaging: Cardiovascular, 2nd edition

Suhny Abbara, MD (Ed.) (2014). Amirsys, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Cardiac Imaging: The Requisites, 4th edition

Lawrence Boxt, MD and Suhny Abbara, MD (Ed.) (2016). Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier

Cardiac Imaging: The Requisites / Edition 3

Stephen W. Miller, MD, Suhny Abbara, MD, Lawrence Boxt, MD (Ed.) (2009). Elsevier Health Sciences

Diagnostic Imaging: Cardiovascular, 1st edition

Suhny Abbara MD and Thomas G. Walker MD (Ed.) (2008). Salt Lake City, UT, AMIRSYS, Elsevier Saunders

PocketRadiologist - Cardiac

Brady, Grist, Westra, Wicky, Abbara (2003). Salt Lake City, UT, AMIRSYS

• Honored Educator Award
  Radiological Society of North America (2017)
• FACR
  American College of Radiology (2016)
• Golden Apple Award
  UTSW Department of Radiology (2016)
• Certificate of Merit
  Radiological Society of North America (2015)
• Honored Educator Award
  Radiological Society of North America (2014)
• Volunteer Service Award
  American Board of Radiology (2014)
• Certificate of Merit
  Radiological Society of North America (2013)
• Editor's Recognition Award
  RadioGraphics (2013)
• Fellow
  Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (2011)
• Certificate of Merit
  Radiological Society of North America (2010)
• Cum Laude Awards (2)
  Radiological Society of North America (2009)
• Editors' Recognition Award for Distinction in Reviewing
  Journal of Thoracic Imaging (2009)
• Top 10 Cited Papers
  European Journal of Radiology (2008)
• Cum Laude Award
  Radiological Society of North America (2007)
• Cum Laude Award
  Society of Thoracic Radiology (2007)
• Editors' Recognition Award for Outstanding Service as a Reviewer
  European Journal of Radiology (2006)
• Outstanding Academic Research Award
  Siemens (2006)
• Certificate of Appreciation
  Radiological Society of North America (2005)
• Executive Council Award
  American Roentgen Ray Society (2003)
• Partners in Excellence Award
  Massachusetts General Hospital (2003)
• Chief Resident, Department of Radiology
  Georgetown University (2001)
• Homer L. Twigg Outstanding Resident Award
  Georgetown University (2000)
• Nycomed Amersham Fellowship Award
  International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine/Nycomed Amersham (1999)
• Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award
  Radiological Society of North America (1999)
• Cum Laude Certificate for Dissertation
  University of Düsseldorf, Germany (1996)

• American College of Radiology
• American Roentgen Ray Society
• Dallas County Medical Society
• New England Roentgen Ray Society
• Radiological Society of North America
• Society for Thoracic Imaging
• Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
• Texas Medical Association
• Texas Radiological Society