Stephen Warren
Mr Stephen Warren is a laparoscopic keyhole general surgeon with a specialist interest in abdominal and bowel complaints.
He qualified in 1986 from the University of London, and early on in his surgical career he became interested in the keyhole approach to surgery recognizing that patients had less pain and recovered more quickly, usually with fewer complications. He first performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (keyhole removal of gallbladder and gallstones) in March 1991, and so unusual was this approach at the time, that he appeared on the front page of the local newspaper! As a young Consultant, he won a competitive National Scholarship to work and learn laparoscopic techniques at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in USA for a 3 month sabbatical.
Since that time, he has applied his laparoscopic skills to a wide variety of surgical operations, both elective planned and emergencies, such that most of his surgeries are now performed laparoscopically, allowing increasingly operations to be completed as daycases. He has many Internationally published papers concerning new laparoscopic daycase operations, reducing pain in laparoscopic general surgical (eg all types of hernias, gallstone problems, emergency appendicitis) and bowel operations, and techniques to improve surgical care after keyhole removal of the bowel for cancers, complicated diverticular disease and inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease. He has approximately 100 original publications. He also lectures and teaches new consultants from around the world, demonstrating specialized laparoscopic techniques. Since 2004 he instigated and runs an annual free sponsored conference concerning ‘updates in colorectal cancer care’ to educate London Consultants, training Registrars and Specialist Nurses, and regularly teaches on junior surgeon training courses and acts as a senior surgical trainee examiner for their exit examinations to become consultants, and is an approved surgical Masters Degree examiner.
As part of his investigations for patients with abdominal pain, bowel disorders and gastric (stomach) and upper bowel problems, Mr Warren performs colonoscopies and gastroscopies (flexible telescopic examination of the stomach and bowel), and diagnostic laparoscopy, and has an interest in screening for bowel cancers. He investigates and treats rectal bleeding, diarrhoea, anaemia, abdominal and anal/pelvic pain, and operates upon piles using the HALO (haemorrhoidal arterial ligation operation) technique.
HEMS
His higher degree research in surgery, concerned the activity of the normal bowel and in patients with severe constipation/ loose motion and those with irritable bowel syndrome, and he retains an interest in treatment of IBS. He was awarded a Master of Surgery MS in surgery for this thesis in 1999 from the University of London.
Mr Warren was formerly Lead Clinician for Colorectal Cancer at Barnet & Chase Farm for 8 years and Lead for Clinical Governance, and then Head of Department for Surgery at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, and later The Royal Free Hospitals NHS Trust where he was Lead for General and Emergency Surgical Services. He resigned from his NHS post in February 2015 as he felt he was unable to give the level of care to his patients on multiple sites. He is the President of the North London Ileostomy Association, and was the Vice President since 2000. He was one of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service doctors briefly when he trained at The Royal London Hospital.
His hobbies include oil painting, motorsport, road cycling, skiing, football, rugby and cooking.
