Health
GENERAL SURGEON’S EXPERTISE FAR FROM GENERAL Consultant General Surgeon, Mr Alan Cameron has been in Ipswich since 1988. Born in Belfast he went on to study medicine at Oxford and King’s College Hospital in London. Mr Cameron retired from Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust a year ago, but remains as busy as ever at his private practice at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital. Here he gives an insight into his past and current practice, together with the choices available in the treatment of varicose veins, an area of expertise for him. For those who suffer from the condition there are several safe and effective options readily available in our area. “When I started at Ipswich Hospital in 1988 there were only five general surgeons so we had to cover the whole gamut of general surgery between us. Quite a challenge! As more colleagues were appointed we gradually all became more specialised and I concentrated on vascular surgery – the management of disorders of the arteries and veins. Arterial surgery in particular was fascinating; every case was different so required input from other disciplines like radiology. The technical aspects were challenging; you really didn’t want the join between arteries to come adrift in the middle of the night! One of the big changes during my 25 years of practice was the increased use of minimallyinvasive treatments like angioplasty (stretching of a narrowing by a balloon) and indeed stenting for aortic aneurysm (placing a graft inside the aorta from the groin rather than by major open surgery). These developments were exciting.” “Varicose veins are a very common condition which, if left untreated, can be
Mr Alan Cameron Consultant General Surgeon
painful and cause distress,” explains Mr Cameron. “Women tend to be more affected than men and overall 3 in 10 adults suffer. I still have a big interest in the surgery of varicose veins and there is a huge range of consequences of the complaint; some are unsightly but painless, whereas others have serious complications such as phlebitis (acute inflammation) or in very extreme cases can contribute to ulcers. Proper assessment by clinical examination and by ultrasound testing is necessary to decide on the best form of treatment. Treatment itself could range from advising support stockings to full stripping under general anaesthetic. Newer ‘endovenous’ techniques where a catheter is placed into the veins to destroy it, and vein injection techniques are available via my colleagues at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital. We also treat those irritating ‘spider veins’ by injection as an outpatient procedure.” “Another major longstanding interest of mine is hernia surgery. I have been a member of the British and European Hernia Societies for years. These days groin hernias are repaired using a plastic mesh and I am proud to say that I introduced it to Ipswich nearly 20 years ago. Although I see lots of hernias, every one is different. Not all groin hernias for example will need a repair; if they are not causing symptoms they are best left alone. I am particularly keen on the use of local anaesthetic for groin hernia repair; there is a lot of evidence that the recovery is faster. Surprisingly, most patients actually enjoy the experience of being awake in the operating theatre! Local anaesthetic is very suited to the elderly or frail case of course, but many younger patients also prefer it. Not all
cases are suitable so general anaesthetic or epidural can be used.” “I am not keen on laparoscopic ‘keyhole’ groin hernia repairs but lest I am seen as opposed to all keyhole surgery I should mention my interest in the rather obscure subject of treatment of excessive sweating and blushing by the keyhole operation called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. I have been doing these since 1986; I was a founder member and later President of the International Society. At Ipswich Nuffield we have had patients from as far North as Norway and as far South as Zimbabwe who have travelled to Ipswich to be looked after by our experienced team”. “On a more personal level, my greatest interest is in travel, and an offshoot of the British Hernia Society is a charity called ‘Operation Hernia’ which has provided an ideal opportunity to combine my love of surgery with visiting other countries. This enables me to travel abroad to operate on people with hernias who could not otherwise get them done. One highlight was a trip I led to a remote area of Peru where we did literally hundreds of cases in a week. Mind you, the world is a small place. In a Mongolian Hospital on the edge of the Gobi desert I found an examination couch which had been manufactured in Ipswich!” “Surgery is a demanding and absorbing occupation; I can’t imagine anything I would rather have chosen as a career. Sometimes surgery doesn’t leave much time for other activities but I do manage to fit in a bit of messing about in boats or tennis or indeed choral singing. And four little grandchildren are a new delight.”
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital offers a comprehensive range of general surgery procedures, and extensive diagnostic and imaging facilities. To find out more about Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, visit www.nuffieldhealth.com/ipswichhospital. Reserve your free place at our forthcoming Let’s Talk Varicose Veins open event on March 4th! For details, or for information on how to book a private consultation with Mr Cameron, get in touch on 01473 279 179.
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