Cutting edge of keyhole surgery

IN ACTION . . . Mr Siba Senapati (centre left) using the new single incision surgery technique

A PIONEERING consultant surgeon at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is thought to be the first in the North-West to have successfully carried out a new gallstone operation.

Previously, operations required four cuts in the abdomen using keyhole surgery. But the new technique of single incision surgery is carried out through a patient’s navel.

Surgeon Mr Siba Senapati said: “One in five people will develop gallstones in their lifetime, these tend to be women, people over 40 and people who are overweight.

“The gallstones are fatty lumps that solidify and harden, eventually causing the gall bladder to become diseased.

“Gallstones are quite common and have the potential to cause significant illnesses like recurrent pain, jaundice, pancreatitis and many others and even mortality.”

Mr Senapati, based at Rochdale Infirmary, studied the technique in Arizona, USA, where the world’s leading keyhole surgeons gathered to share their expertise.

He said: “This new technique is practised in a few well-established keyhole surgery centres in the world, but only in a handful of centres in the UK.

“The two patients that have been treated were very happy and were discharged within 24 hours.

“I firmly believe that a large number of patients will be able to benefit from this treatment.”
The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust runs hospitals in Oldham, Rochdale, North Manchester and Bury.