If you have abdominal pain, discomfort or other symptoms which your general practitioner / doctor believes are related to the stomach, intestine or bowel, you may be referred to our gastroenterology team for further investigations.
In order to ascertain the origin of your symptoms, it may be necessary to look inside your stomach and duodenum (small bowel) or inside the large bowel. These procedures are referred to as endoscopy (gastroscopy) or colonoscopy.
Whilst scans are very useful tests for examining the inside of the abdomen, they do not allow your doctors to look at the inside of the stomach or bowel and always see what is going on in the intestinal lining. An endoscopy or gastroscopy looks at the stomach & duodenum (1st part of the small bowel) whilst a colonoscopy is used to study the large bowel. A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a colonoscopy that only looks at the 1st metre or so of the colon on the left side of the abdomen. These tests make it possible to examine the lining surface of the stomach, duodenum and colon in order to identify ulcers, tears, points of bleeding, polyps, infections, inflammatory conditions and early (or advanced) cancers.
These tests also allow the specialist to take small samples of tissue (biopsies) which are then sent to the laboratory for examination under the microscope.
A “scope” is essentially a small diameter flexible telescope equipped with a microchip camera and a bright light which allows the specialist to look directly inside the intestine to diagnose disease.
The procedure is performed at the Specialist Medical Clinic as a day case/ambulatory procedure under intravenous sedation. Our team includes an anaesthetist whose job is to ensure you receive adequate safe sedation such that you are completely unaware of what is happening.
Endoscopies (gastroscopies) typically take around 10 minutes to complete, however colonoscopy usually takes a little longer.
How can we help you today?
Your Specialists
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Mr. David Deardon BM MD FRCS FRCS(Ed)
Chief Executive / General Surgeon & Endoscopist
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Dr Gareth Latin
Consultant Gastroenterologist
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Mr. Fady Narouz MBBCh, IFRCS
Consultant Colorectal and General Surgery
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Alfonso Antequera Perez
Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon
Don't judge another (wo)man until you have walked a mile in their moccasins "
(American First Nation proverb)
Mr. David Deardon BM MD FRCS FRCS(Ed)
Chief Executive / General Surgeon & Endoscopist
Areas of expertise
UK Trained Consultant General and Transplant Surgeon, now providing day case General Surgery and Surgical Gastroenterology to SMC
Education and professional training
Trained at Southampton Medical School (BM) 1984. Became a Fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS Ed) in 1989. Completed EU Surgical Training in 1990 and UK Surgical Training in 1996. Completed my Doctorate at Manchester University in 1999
Professional Qualifications, Associations & Accomplishments
Over 20 published scientific papers in peer reviewed journals Presented and co-authored a number of scientific presentations at international congresses in Japan, Europe, India, USA and the UK. Accredited as a specialist in General Surgery in 1997 and joined the GMC’s specialist register.
Professional experience
Held consultant posts in Plymouth (Senior Lecturer /Associate Professor), Guys and St Thomas’s Hospitals London, Oxford Radcliffe (Honorary Tutor to Green College and involved in the initial development of the highly successful Oxford Pancreas and Non-heart beating kidney transplant programmes), the Western Infirmary, Glasgow (reintroduced the
Languages spoken
English
Interests
Doing exciting things with my family, travelling (to explore cultures and geography); philately, jigsaws and skiing.
Dr Gareth Latin
Consultant Gastroenterologist
Areas of expertise
General Gastroenterology covering a broad range of diseases involving the oesophagus, stomach, small and large bowel as well as the liver. Special interest in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, diagnostic upper GI endoscopy and Colonoscopy.
Education and professional training
I completed my medical training at Aberdeen University with subsequent training in various NHS hospitals throughout Scotland. I continued with my Higher Specialist Training in Gastroenterology in Edinburgh working in both the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary within the Scottish Liver Transplant Unit and the Western General Hospital which was the regional unit for the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Professional Qualifications, Associations & Accomplishments
BChB from Aberdeen University Member of the Royal College of Physicians Member of the British Society of Gastroenterology JAG Accreditation in Upper and Lower GI Endoscopy
Professional experience
Having practiced in the NHS for 9 years I returned to Gibraltar in 2015 to work as the Consultant Gastroenterologist in the Gibraltar Health Authority. I am also the Clinical Lead for the Gibraltar Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and previously worked as the Clincal Director for the Department of General Medicine.
Languages spoken
English
Competency, empathy and compassion for my patients"
Mr. Fady Narouz MBBCh, IFRCS
Consultant Colorectal and General Surgery
Areas of expertise
Colon and rectal cancer, perianal disease (haemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures), colonic and rectal polyps, advanced colonoscopy and gastroscopy, open and laparoscopic hernia surgery, gallbladder surgery, minor skin lumps and bumps, ingrowing toe nails, emergency general surgery.
Education and professional training
MBBCh Cairo University, 2004. Completed training in 2017 in the Republic of Ireland, Dublin University Hospitals. Colorectal Fellowship at St. James's University Hospital, Leeds. Trauma Fellowship at King's College Hospital, London
Professional Qualifications, Associations & Accomplishments
FRCS, Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland - 2016 Member of the ACGBI (The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland)since 2017. GMC and Gibraltar Medical Board registered.
Professional experience
Irish and UK trained Colorectal and general surgery consultant with 17 years working in the surgical field. I am the Colorectal Cancer lead at the GHA. Experienced in laparoscopic bowel cancer resections, hernias, cholecystectomies and advanced endoscopy with over 3000 procedures.
Languages spoken
English, Arabic
Interests
Squash, SCUBA diving instructor, chess, volleyball. I also have an interest in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine with a post graduate degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Mr Antequera is Consultant Surgeon at St Bernard's Hospital, located in Gibraltar. He is a leading expert in laparoscopic and endoscopic treatment for Obesity, one of the global health burdens nowadays. He offers alternative weight loss solutions such as gastric balloons, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, gastric band/lap-band, bariatric surgery and gastric band adjustments."
Alfonso Antequera Perez
Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon
Areas of expertise
Upper gastrointestinal surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, obesity surgery, endoscopy
Education and professional training
Studied at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Trained as Specialist in General Surgery at Hospital Puerta de Hierro. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid Master Onco-surgical strategies at Universite Paris-Sud
Professional Qualifications, Associations & Accomplishments
PhD in organ transplantation at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid Fellow of the American College of Surgeons Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Member of the British Society for Obesity Surgery (BOMSS) Member of the British association of upper gastrointestinal surgery (AUGIS)
Professional experience
Mar 2012 to July 2013 Locum Upper Gastrointestinal Consultant Surgeon. Adelaide & Meath Hospital. Tallaght. Dublin Sep 2011 to Mar 2012 Locum Upper Gastrointestinal Consultant Surgeon. Castle Hill Hospital. Hull & East Yorkshire NHS Trust Nov 2003 to Aug 2011 Consultant Surgeon. General and Digestive Surgery in Fuenlabrada Hospital. A public University General Hospital of 400 beds. Taking all the digestive and endocrine surgery, with special dedication to laparoscopic surgery and obesity. Full-Time (35 hours per week. In-House Calls 1 in 5). Honorary professor of Surgery in Health Science Campus of “Rey Juan Carlos University”. Private practice in Clinica La Luz. Madrid.
Languages spoken
English, Spanish, French
Interests
Sailing, skiing, golf, literature
