Biraj Bista, M.D.

(877) 460-4673
Biraj Bista, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiologist
Clinical Expertise
  • Diagnostic Radiology
Other Languages Spoken
Nepali
Hindi
Bengali
Academic Appointments
  • Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology
  • Section Chief of Cardiothoracic Imaging, Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Clinical Teams
Diagnostic Radiology

Biraj Bista, M.D., associate clinical professor of diagnostic radiology at City of Hope® Los Angeles and section chief for cardiothoracic imaging, was drawn to his field of expertise after witnessing the vital role diagnosis plays in positive treatment outcomes.

Before joining City of Hope, Dr. Bista was interim chief of cardiothoracic radiology and director of the cardiothoracic radiology fellowship program at the University of California Irvine, where he taught and advised residents and fellows and oversaw the cardiothoracic radiology department. Dr. Bista has also served as chair of radiology at Grande International Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, and assistant professor at Nepal Medical College and Hospital.

A fluent speaker of Nepali, Hindi and Bengal, Dr. Bista has been recognized by his peers as a “physician of excellence” in Orange County. In addition to giving multiple invited lectures, Dr. Bista is credited with more than a dozen publications, including research into the use of time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography as a noninvasive approach to diagnosing vascular malformations and high-resolution, 3-D Ferumoxytol-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance venography in central venous occlusion.

Location

Education & Experience

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Radiology
  • Nepal Medical Board

Degrees

  • 2002, Medical Education R.G. Kar Medical College, India

Fellowship

  • 2017, Diagnostic Cardiovascular Imaging, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2012, Vascular and Interventional Radiology, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
  • 2011, Neuroradiology, George Washington University, Washington DC

Residency

  • 2010, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal, Karnataka, India

Professional Experience

  • 2024–present, Associate Clinical Professor, Section Chief of Cardiothoracic Imaging, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, City of Hope, Duarte, California
  • 2013–2023, Associate Clinical Professor, Cardiothoracic Radiology Fellowship Director and Interim Chief of Cardiothoracic Radiology section, University of California Irvine, Orange, California

Awards & Memberships

Awards

  • 1st Prize in intercollege badminton championship, table tennis championship
  • 2nd prize in intercollege marathon
  • Topped the University at Radiology Residency Board Exam

Memberships

  • Radiologic Society of North America
  • Society of Thoracic Radiology
  • American College of Radiology
  • Frontiers in Radiology
  • Aunt Minnie Radiology

Publications

  • Bista B, Thapa S. Extramedullary relapse of acute myeloid leukemia presenting as an epidural spinal mass with vertebral and acetabular leukemic involvement: A case report. Radiology Case Reports, 2026-03-01, Volume 21, Issue 3, Pages 1092-1095, doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2025.11.048.
  • Daniel E, Gulati A, Saxena S, Urgun DA, Bista B. GM-VGG-Net: A Gray Matter-Based Deep Learning Network for Autism Classification. Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Jun 3;15(11):1425. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15111425. PMID: 40506998; PMCID: PMC12154016.
  • Bista B, Superior vena cava aneurysm. Case study, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 26 Jan 2024) doi.org/10.53347/rID-166566
  • Bista B, Right ventricle pseudoaneurysm. Case study, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 26 Jan 2024) doi.org/10.53347/rID-168243
  • Bista B, Yousra A, Bosemani T, Gedeon D, Bista A, Shrestha S, Krishnam M. The utility of time resolved magnetic resonance angiography in differentiating vascular malformations. Clin Imaging. 2023 Sep;101:150-155. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.06.010. Epub 2023 Jun 8. PMID: 37364365.
  • Liang C, Bista B. Multiple pulmonary artery mycotic aneurysms and septic emboli in a patient with tricuspid valve vegetation and infective endocarditis. Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Nov 11;16(1):128-131. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.11.006. Erratum in: Radiol Case Rep. 2022 Aug 07;17(10):4055-4056. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2022.07.058. PMID: 33224398; PMCID: PMC7666366.
  • Smith-Bindman R, Yu S, Wang Y, Kohli MD, Chu P, Chung R, Luong J, Bos D, Stewart C, Bista B, Alejandrez Cisneros A, Delman B, Einstein AJ, Flynn M, Romano P, Seibert JA, Westphalen AC, Bindman A. An Image Quality-informed Framework for CT Characterization. Radiology. 2022 Feb;302(2):380-389. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2021210591. Epub 2021 Nov 9. PMID: 34751618; PMCID: PMC8805663.
  • Urgun DA, Bista B, Krishnam M. Unusual presentation of testicular rhabdomyosarcoma metastases to the right ventricle papillary muscle and tricuspid valve. Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Jul 6;15(9):1562-1565. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.05.075. PMID: 32670460; PMCID: PMC7341057.
  • Bista B, Ferris J, Na N, Krishnam M, Urgun D. Unilateral absence of pulmonary artery and azygous continuation of interrupted inferior vena cava. Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Apr 28;15(6):688-690. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.02.021. PMID: 32382363; PMCID: PMC7198913.
  • Khan SN, McWilliams JP, Bista BB, Kee S, Finn JP. Comparison of Ferumoxytol-enhanced MR Angiography and CT Angiography for the Detection of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia: Initial Results. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2020 Apr 30;2(2):e190077. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2020190077. PMID: 33778550; PMCID: PMC7978029.
  • West BH, Low CG, Bista BB, Yang EH, Vorobiof G, Busuttil RW, Budoff MJ, Elashoff D, Tobis JM, Honda HM. Significance of Coronary Artery Calcium Found on Non-Electrocardiogram-Gated Computed Tomography During Preoperative Evaluation for Liver Transplant. Am J Cardiol. 2019 Jul 15;124(2):278-284. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.04.025. Epub 2019 Apr 23. PMID: 31122618; PMCID: PMC6581589.
  • Shahrouki P, Moriarty JM, Khan SN, Bista B, Kee ST, DeRubertis BG, Yoshida T, Nguyen KL, Finn JP. High resolution, 3-dimensional Ferumoxytol-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance venography in central venous occlusion. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2019 Mar 11;21(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s12968-019-0528-5. PMID: 30853026; PMCID: PMC6410526.
  • Gao Y, Zhou Z, Han F, Cao M, Shaverdian N, Hegde JV, Bista BB, Steinberg M, Lee P, Raldow A, Low DA, Yang Y, Hu P. Accelerated 3D bSSFP imaging for treatment planning on an MRI-guided radiotherapy system. Med Phys. 2018 Jun;45(6):2595-2602. doi: 10.1002/mp.12924. Epub 2018 May 6. PMID: 29663419.
  • Bista B, Moriarty J. CT reconstruction in critical lib ischemia. An overview of the available CT reconstruction techniques to plan chronic limb ischemia treatment. Endovascular Today. May 2017, Vol 16, No.5.
  • Singh N, Pandey CR, Pant BR, Shrestha UK, Bista B. External Iliac Artery-Appendicular Fistula due to Antegrade Unusual Migration of K-Wire from Hip to Pelvis: An Unreported Complication. Case Rep Orthop. 2015;2015:207078. doi: 10.1155/2015/207078. Epub 2015 Jun 3. PMID: 26146579; PMCID: PMC4469786.