BackTable / VI / Contributor

Dr. Christopher Beck
Interventional Radiologist
Dr. Chris Beck is a practicing interventional radiologist with Regional Radiology Group in New Orleans.
Listen to Dr. Christopher Beck on the BackTable VI Podcast
The BackTable Podcast is a knowledge resource by physicians for physicians. Learn from the experiences and expertise of Dr. Christopher Beck and get practical advice on how to build your practice by listening to the BackTable VI Podcast.

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About Dr. Christopher Beck
Dr. Beck is the Chief Community Officer of BackTable and a reluctant but regular host of our podcast. His current focus has been the new BackTable web app with the goal of creating and curating durable education content which will enrich the practice of endovascular specialists at any stage in their career. Dr. Beck is also practicing interventional radiologist in New Orleans, and has been quoted saying, "With a Kumpe and glidewire, I could conquer a small country."
Podcasts Featuring Dr. Christopher Beck
Episode #377
In this episode, host Dr. Chris Beck interviews Dr. Juan Gimenez and Dr. Tyler Sandow. Juan and Tyler are both interventional radiologists in New Orleans, Louisiana who practice at Ochsner Health System - one of the United States’ leading transplant centers. As a result, both doctors have significant experience in Y-90 radiation segmentectomy and other complex procedures for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Episode #372
In this episode, host Christopher Beck discusses the current landscape of IR training with Dr. Neil Jain, a fourth-year IR/DR resident at Georgetown University. Neil, who attended medical school in New Jersey, discusses his early desire for a diverse medical career encompassing clinical work, innovation, and mentorship.
Episode #292
In this episode, Dr. Chris Beck interviews vascular access surgeon Dr. Ari Kramer about his management of arteriovenous (AV) access for dialysis patients. We cover his preferred imaging for identifying and deciding to treat stenoses, the protracted angioplasty technique, and the evolution of research in drug coated balloons (DCB) and stent grafts.
Episode #265
In this crossover episode between BackTable VI and BackTable Innovation, Dr. Chris Beck interviews Dr. Riad Salem (Chief of Interventional Radiology at Northwestern University) and Peter Pattison (President of Interventional Oncology at Boston Scientific) about how TheraSpheres for Y90 radioembolization became a mainstay in the IR toolkit for HCC and where the technology is heading next.
Episode #262
On this episode, BackTable VI host Dr. Christopher Beck shares the mic with two Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists, Drs. Roxane Rampersad at Washington University and Tony Shanks at Indiana University, to discuss cross-specialty management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) between OBGYN and interventional radiology (IR).
Episode #257
In this episode, Dr. Chris Beck interviews Interventional Radiologist Dr. Josh Kuban about his liver tumor ablation practice at MD Anderson Cancer Center, including how it's evolved over time with newer technologies. They also discuss patient workup for liver tumors, treatment with microwave ablation, and post-procedure follow up. Dr. Kuban shares why he uses microwave ablation technology, and the advantages of ablation confirmation software for these procedures.
Articles Featuring Dr. Christopher Beck
There are a diversity of thrombectomy devices that are viable for arterial thrombectomy, including Boston Scientific AngioJet, Penumbra Indigo, AngioDynamics Auryon, and BD Rotarex. Each device has utility in different clinical scenarios. Learn more about effective arterial thrombectomy device selection.
Renal trauma can present significant challenges for new interventional radiologists, from understanding biopsy risks and potential iatrogenic injuries, to the intricacies of imaging techniques and choosing between different treatment options. Learn more about the importance of targeted renal biopsy, the role of two-phase arterial and venous CT scans in diagnosing renal bleeds, and the nuanced decisions behind interventions such as embolization and partial nephrectomy.
Though incorrect, the term "iodine allergy" is still used to describe contrast dye allergy, Betadine soap allergy, and even shellfish allergy. Radiologist Dr. Cullen Ruff suggests that the term "iodine allergy" should no longer be used in the medical field as patients are not allergic to the iodine itself, but rather to some other component in the contrast agent.
Blood patching began to emerge in the early 2000’s as a technique to reduce the incidence of chest tube placements subsequent to pneumothoraces, and has since been adopted in lung biopsy procedures. Blood patching is a technique in which the operator introduces the patient's own blood into the pulmonary space to promote coagulation of air passages created upon biopsy.
As an operator, two key challenges of the microwave liver ablation procedure are navigating the background liver parenchyma and determining the extent of lesion ablation possible without compromising liver function. Dr. Driss Raissi, an Interventional Radiologist at the University of Kentucky discusses how to navigate these challenges and shares his liver ablation procedure techniques in this BackTable Article.
CT guided lung biopsy can be quite challenging. There is a risk of injuring the many pulmonary and intercostal vessels, the time consuming process of sticking the nodule, and determining what patients are viable candidates. Abdominal radiologist Dr. Fred Lee discusses the techniques his practice has used to improve their CT guided lung biopsies.
Different evaluation and management (E&M) codes are used depending on the type of work done and where it takes place, whether in the ER, ICU, or the outpatient setting. Interventional radiologist Dr. Ryan Trojan demystifies some aspects of E&M coding including global billing periods, modifier 25, and the scenarios in which these apply. He also describes some common inpatient billing codes.
Evaluation and management (E&M) coding requires documentation to capture physician-patient encounters so that physicians are reimbursed appropriately based on the level of clinical care they deliver. Interventional radiologist Dr. Ryan Trojan provides an E&M coding overview, describing reasons why IRs should be taking advantage of it and how the medical decision making component of E&M works.
Arteriovenous fistulas and grafts are dialysis access sites that can thrombose. To restore blood flow in the dialysis circuit, a declot procedure is performed to remove clots and treat any associated stenoses which may be flow-limiting. Interventional nephrologist Dr. Neghae Mawla provides tips and tricks for reducing procedure time, working with two sheaths, performing angioplasty, and using stents vs. drug coated balloons.
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Disclaimer: The Materials available on BackTable.com are for informational and educational purposes only and are not a substitute for the professional judgment of a healthcare professional in diagnosing and treating patients. The opinions expressed by participants of the BackTable Podcast belong solely to the participants, and do not necessarily reflect the views of BackTable.