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Anil Pillai, M.D.

Anil Pillai, M.D.

Chief, Vascular & Interventional Radiology

Professor & Division Chief

School
Medical School
Department
Radiology

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For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile.

  • Biography

    Download Curriculum Vitae

    Anil Kumar Pillai, M.D., is a Professor of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Chief of its Vascular & Interventional Radiology Division. His clinical interests include interventional procedures related to cancer care, specifically liver and kidney cancers (minimally invasive targeted treatments), liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, and venous thromboembolic disorders.

    Originally from India, Dr. Pillai earned his medical degree from Kerala University, in Trivandrum, India. He completed radiology residency training at Sardar Patel Medical College of the University of Rajasthan, India.

    Dr. Pillai worked as an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Amirta Institute of Medical Sciences in India for four years, and as a consultant radiologist in the Middle East for one year. After relocating to England, Dr. Pillai passed his board examinations in radiology and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists. He then worked in England as a consultant radiologist at Burnley General Hospital in East Lancashire before relocating to the United States to receive advanced training through fellowship programs in vascular and interventional radiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

    In addition to being board certified by the American Board of Radiology in diagnostic radiology and vascular and interventional radiology, Dr. Pillai is a Diplomate of the National Board of Radiology in India.

    Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2012, Dr. Pillai served as a faculty member at Rush University Medical Center for five years. He left UT Southwestern in 2016 to become the Interventional Radiology Section Chief at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and returned to UT Southwestern to become Chief of Vascular & Interventional Radiology in 2019.

    Dr. Pillai's research interests include developing animal models for liver cirrhosis and hepatoma, developing novel prognostic biomarkers for hepatocellular cancer, and developing new imaging techniques to predict responses to liver-directed treatments in hepatocellular cancer.

    In 2019, Dr. Pillai became a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology.  

    Personal Note

    Dr. Pillai speaks multiple Indian languages. He is an avid traveler and a runner, and has completed several half- and full marathons. He is married and has two children.

  • Education
    Medical School
    Trivandrum Medical College, India (1993)
    Internship
    Government Medical College, India (1994), General Surgery
    Residency
    Sardar Patel Medical College, India (1999), Radiology
    Fellowship
    Rush University Medical Center (2007), Vascular & Interventional Radiology
  • Research Interest
    • Liver directed therapies
    • Portal hypertension
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Expulsion of a Uterine Fibroid into the Small Bowel through Uteroenteric Fistula Presenting with Bowel Obstruction after Uterine Fibroid Embolization: Case Report with Histopathologic Correlation.
    Pillai AK, Kovoor JM, Reis SP, Kho K, Sutphin PD, Lucas E J Vasc Interv Radiol 2016 May 27 5 762-4
    Thrombolysis and Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation for Acute and Subacute Portal Vein Thrombosis.
    Chamarthy MR, Anderson ME, Pillai AK, Kalva SP Tech Vasc Interv Radiol 2016 Mar 19 1 42-51
    Direct Percutaneous Access to the Cervical Portion of the Thoracic Duct, an Alternative to Traditional Access through the Cisterna Chyli.
    Reis SP, MacFarlane J, Anene A, Pillai AK J Vasc Interv Radiol 2015 Dec 26 12 1902-4
    Approaching the Practice Quality Improvement Project in Interventional Radiology.
    Reis SP, White B, Sutphin PD, Pillai AK, Kalva SP, Toomay SM J Am Coll Radiol 2015 Sep
    Portal hypertension: a review of portosystemic collateral pathways and endovascular interventions.
    Pillai AK, Andring B, Patel A, Trimmer C, Kalva SP Clin Radiol 2015 Jul
    Effect of technical parameters on transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts utilizing stent grafts.
    Andring B, Kalva SP, Sutphin P, Srinivasa R, Anene A, Burrell M, Xi Y, Pillai AK World J. Gastroenterol. 2015 Jul 21 26 8110-7
    Ureteroarterial fistula: diagnosis and management.
    Pillai AK, Anderson ME, Reddick MA, Sutphin PD, Kalva SP AJR Am J Roentgenol 2015 May 204 5 W592-8
    Improving Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval Rates with the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control Methodology.
    Sutphin PD, Reis SP, McKune A, Ravanzo M, Kalva SP, Pillai AK J Vasc Interv Radiol 2015 Jan
    Catheter-directed pharmacologic thrombolysis for acute pulmonary embolism immediately following lung transplantation.
    Reddick M, Pillai AK, Bollineni S, Kalva S J Vasc Interv Radiol 2015 Jan 26 1 142-4
    Comparative Evaluation of Two Venous Sampling Techniques for the Assessment of Pancreatic Insulin and Zinc Release upon Glucose Challenge.
    Pillai AK, Silvers W, Christensen P, Riegel M, Adams-Huet B, Lingvay I, Sun X, Öz OK J Diabetes Res 2015 2015 789359
  • Books

    Featured 

    Vascular Devices p313-332,. In Cardiovascular Imaging, Problem solving in Radiology series 1st Edition, Suhny Abbara and Sanjeeva P. Kalva, Saunders PA

    AK Pillai, AC Quiroz, S Kalva: Vascular Devices p313-332, (2012). Saunders PA

    Peripheral artery disease in hemodialysis access. In Dialysis Access Management 1st edition

    Singh K, Anderson ME, Pillai AK (2014). Switzerland, Springer International.

  • Honors & Awards
    • Certificate of Merit
      Society of Interventional Radiology (2015)
    • Certificate of Merit
      Radiological Society of North America (2015)
    • Harvey L Neiman Grant
      SIR Foundation Grant (2015-2016)
    • Best Educational Exhibit
      Society of Interventional Radiology (2014)
    • Best Educational Exhibit
      Society of Interventional Radiology (2014)
    • Best Educational Exhibit
      Global Embolization Symposium &Technologies (2014)
    • Certificate of Merit
      Radiological Society of North America (2014)
    • Magna Cum Laude
      Radiological Society of North America (2014)
    • Physicians Vascular interpretation (RPVI)
      American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) (2014)
    • Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ)
      American Board of Radiology (2011-2021)
    • Fellow of Royal College of Radiology (FRCR)
      Royal College of Radiologist, London, UK (2003)
    • Diplomate of National Board of Radiology
      National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, India (1998)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • Radiological Society of North America (2004)
    • Royal College of Radiologists (2003)
    • Society of Interventional Radiology (2007)