Mr Srinivasan Balchandra is a Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon at HMT St Hugh’s Hospital in Grimsby. He holds a CCT in General, Upper GI and Bariatric Surgery from the Yorkshire Deanery, and an MD from the University of Manchester. His practice covers keyhole surgery for gallstones, acid reflux and hiatus hernia, and the repair of groin and abdominal wall hernias, including complex reconstruction using component separation techniques.

Gallstones, reflux and hernias account for a large share of general surgery, and they have something in common: people put up with them. Attacks that have quietly reorganised what someone eats, heartburn that stopped responding to tablets some time ago, or a hernia that has been “not too bad” for three years. All three are routinely fixed by keyhole surgery, and the sooner they are dealt with, the more straightforward the operation tends to be.

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About Mr Balchandra

Mr Balchandra obtained a Master’s Degree in General Surgery from Mumbai in India, and an MD from the University of Manchester. He holds a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in General, Upper GI and Bariatric Surgery from the Yorkshire Deanery, and is a fully accredited general, upper GI and bariatric surgeon.

He has been a substantive NHS consultant at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for around fourteen years.

He offers keyhole surgical treatment for gallstones and other gallbladder problems including polyps, for acid reflux and hiatus hernia, and for other conditions of the gullet and stomach. He performs on-table cholangiography routinely during keyhole gallbladder surgery, an X-ray of the bile ducts taken during the operation which gives additional information about the biliary anatomy.

He also repairs groin and abdominal wall hernias, both open and laparoscopically, including component separation techniques for abdominal wall reconstruction in complex cases. For laparoscopic groin hernia repair he does not routinely use mechanical mesh fixation, an approach associated with less post-operative pain.

He has held training posts internationally, has presented at national and international meetings, and has published in peer-reviewed journals including the British Journal of Surgery. His research covers bariatric and metabolic surgery outcomes and laparoscopic hernia repair, and he has contributed to a Cochrane review protocol on mesh fixation techniques in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

His academic awards include the Ethicon Prize for Best Research Presentation at the Annual Scientific Congress of Australasian Surgeons in Perth, and the Gool Contractor Award for Best Resident in General and Trauma Surgery at LTMG Hospital in Mumbai. His Masters dissertation was nominated for the Pfizer Best Thesis Prize.

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Areas of expertise

Gallbladder

• Gallstones
• Gallbladder polyps
• Biliary colic and gallbladder attacks
• Cholecystitis
• Bile duct assessment

Reflux and hiatus hernia

• Acid reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
• Persistent heartburn
• Hiatus hernia
• Anti-reflux surgery

Hernia

• Inguinal (groin) hernia
• Umbilical and epigastric hernia
• Incisional hernia
• Complex abdominal wall hernia
• Abdominal wall reconstruction using component separation
• Recurrent hernia

Gullet and stomach

• Conditions of the oesophagus and stomach
• Indigestion and dyspepsia
• Swallowing problems
• Diagnostic endoscopy

Bariatric and weight loss surgery

• Bariatric and metabolic surgery assessment

General surgery

• General surgical assessment and diagnosis
• Abdominal pain investigation
• Second opinion on general surgical conditions

Mr Balchandra treats adults aged 18 and over.