Our Services & Specialties

Hepatobiliary surgery refers to surgery involving the liver, gallbladder or bile ducts. Thanks to a new liver, gall bladder and upper gastrointestinal unit recently formed at London Bridge Hospital, we are able to provide quick and convenient access to a dedicated team of specialists. The unit is designed to provide a rapid and efficient service to avoid time-consuming repeat visits to the hospital and to minimise the discomfort that some gastrointestinal conditions may cause in daily life. In addition to liver surgery, we also offer the FibroScan® technique, a painless, non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy for evaluating liver fibrosis.

The hepatobiliary and liver surgery unit is equipped to deal with a range of conditions, including:

Abnormal liver function tests

A series of tests carried out on a sample of your blood to assess the overall health and anatomical integrity of your liver.

Acute and chronic pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a condition that develops when the pancreas is damaged by an inflammation. Chronic pancreatitis is a condition associated with widespread scarring and destruction of pancreatic tissue.

Acute and chronic liver disease

If a liver disease exists for less than 6 months it is generally referred to as ‘acute’ (such as hepatitis and acute liver failure). If it has a duration of longer than 6 months it is generally described as chronic (chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, for example).

Biliary reconstruction - Roux en y hepaticojejunostomy

Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy is a procedure used for biliary reconstruction, where portions of the biliary or digestive system are either missing since birth or damaged due to illness.

Digestive problems

Disorders relating to the conversion of food in the stomach and intestines into soluble and diffusible nutrients.

Dyspepsia (heart burn)

Impairment of digestion, usually accompanied by discomfort following meals.

Gallstone disease

When the bile in the gallbladder becomes over concentrated it can form ‘stones’ or crystals in the gallbladder or bile ducts.

Hepatitis diagnosis and screening

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, typically caused by viral infections A, B and C as well as auto-immune hepatitis, fatty liver hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis and toxin induced hepatitis.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy

London Bridge Hospital is now offering the most advanced form of keyhole surgery for the liver, pancreas and biliary tract. The advantages of this type of surgery are quicker recovery and reduced post-operative pain. These services are provided by highly skilled clinicians (all internationally renowned for there work in this field) in an integrated way to ensure 24-hour Consultant cover throughout your hospital stay. Appointments for an initial consultation can be made by contacting the Hospital GP Liaison Department on 020 7234 2009 or the individual secretary.

Liver cyst excision

A hepatic cyst is usually a solitary nonparasitic cysts of the liver removable by surgery.

Liver resections for tumours (benign and malignant)

A liver resection is carried out to remove a portion of the liver in order to completely extract the tumour and all its surrounding tissue.

Oesophageal reflux

When the muscular ring at the lower end of the oesophagus is abnormally relaxed it allows the stomach's acidic contents to flow back or 'reflux' into the gullet (oesophagus).

Oesophageal, gastric, biliary, liver, gallbladder and pancreatic growths

The removal of abnormal growths either completely or partially for biopsy.

Peptic ulcer disease

A peptic ulcer is an ulcer in the way of the stomach or duodenum resulting from the digestive action of the gastric juice on the mucous membrane when it is rendered susceptible to its action.

Whipple procedure for cancer of pancreas

Excision of all or part of the pancreas together with the duodenum in order to remove cancerous growths.

All necessary tests and procedures are carried out under one roof at London Bridge Hospital by a team comprising leading specialists from the top teaching hospitals including King's College Hospital, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Trust.

• Upper Gastrointerstinal Surgeon - Miss Frances Hughes, Mr Simon Atkinson
• Professor of Hepatology - Prof.Graham Foster
• Interventional Radiologist - Dr Tim Fotheringham
• Gastroenterology - Dr Jeremy Sanderson
• ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography - Dr Mark Wilkinson
• Liver, Biliary / Gallbladder, Pancreas (including Laparoscopic) Surgery - Mr Robert Hutchins, Mr Andreas Prachalias, Mr Parthi Srinivasan & Mr Simon Atkinson 

The team are up-to-date with the latest advances in medical and surgical treatments of disorders relating to the liver, gall bladder and pancreas, and they treat their patient with the compassion and the time that we know are vital to any person seeking a solution to their hepatobiliary problems.