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Professor opens clinic in home city

17th September 2014 Print
Professor Mark Whiteley

A Bristol-born professor, who is a world leader in the treatment of varicose veins, has opened a specialist private clinic in his home city.

Professor Mark Whiteley, who was born in Brislington and went to school in Henleaze, has opened the Whiteley Clinic at Litfield House Medical Centre in Clifton, where a team of specialists will carry out surgical and non-surgical treatment of varicose veins and venous conditions.

It is the third clinic of its kind in the country and follows on the success of The Whiteley Clinic in Guildford and London.

Said Professor Whiteley: “It is very special to me to open the clinic in my home city. I was born and went to school in Bristol and then moved to Bath later on so when I decided to open a third clinic Bristol was my top location choice.

“The clinic will serve people in the South West who find it difficult to get to Guildford or London for investigations and treatment.

“We have installed the latest duplex ultrasound equipment to accurately diagnose underlying causes of varicose veins. There is also a brand new theatre suite for treatments, all of which are walk-in, walk-out procedures with minimal downtime.”

Professor Whiteley was the first consultant surgeon to introduce minimally invasive varicose vein surgery techniques in the United Kingdom when he performed the first procedure on March 12th 1999. Chief vascular technologist Judy Holdstock, who assisted in the first operation, is among the specialists working in Bristol.

Consultant vascular surgeon Mr Mike Rocker will lead the Bristol team with some of the procedures being carried out by Mark Whiteley when he is in the city. He is in demand worldwide at conferences on the subject and splits his time between the three clinics.

In 2000 he invented a new technique called “Transluminal Occlusion of Perforating Veins”, improving on the keyhole surgery techniques and in 2002 the Whiteley Clinic was formed.

Through ongoing research into the different techniques available, he has since developed The Whiteley Protocol which ensures that all patients are offered the same excellent standard of diagnosis and treatment.

These techniques have made ligation and stripping of veins, which causes pain, bruising and bleeding, totally unnecessary and indeed prize-winning research from The Whiteley Clinic has shown these old stripping procedures actually cause the varicose veins to grow back in the majority of cases.

Since 2005 all operations for varicose veins have been performed under local anaesthetic with the new pin-hole endovenous techniques, reducing pain and bruising, and dispensing with general anaesthetic and the need to stay in hospital.

The Whiteley Clinic will be open to the public for a special open day on Saturday 27 September where consultants will be giving free 10-minute one-to-one sessions where they will offer scans and advice to anyone worried about any venous conditions. To register for this event contact nancy[at]thewhiteleyclinic.co.uk

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Professor Mark Whiteley