Nationality British | Years active 1992 to present | |
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Born 1962 Bristol, England Education King Edward's School, Bath Occupation Vascular surgeon; Visiting Professor University of Surrey Known for Founding The Whiteley Clinic; Inventing the TRLOP surgical technique; Describing PAVA; Founding the College of Phlebology; Founding the Leg Ulcer Charity Website The Whiteley Clinic; College of Phlebology; The Leg Ulcer Charity | ||
Ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy by mark whiteley of the whiteley clinic
Mark Whiteley is a British vascular surgeon. In 1995 he became a lecturer at Oxford University. Whiteley was the first surgeon in the UK to perform keyhole surgery on patients for the treatment of varicose veins. In 2001 became the founder of The Whiteley Clinic is located in Guildford, Surrey. In 2011 he founded The College of Phlebology and in 2013 he founded the Leg Ulcer Charity. In 2012 he was invited on to the Council of The Venous Forum at The Royal Society of Medicine and 2014 he became a director of the venous course at The Charing Cross Symposium.
Contents
- Ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy by mark whiteley of the whiteley clinic
- Education and early medical career
- The Whiteley Clinic
- Varicose veins surgery
- Incompetent Perforating Veins
- Pelvic Vein Embolisation
- Primary Avalvular Varicose Anomalies PAVA
- Sweat glands surgery
- Hembolize Treatment for Hemorrhoids Piles
- Research
- Prizes for research
- Media
- Tatler Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Guide
- Business
- The Whiteley Clinic Prestige Stakes
- Guildford Rugby
- The Leg Ulcer Charity
- Guildford Philanthropy Founding Donor
- References
Education and early medical career
Whiteley qualified as a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital London in 1986. Following his training as a surgeon, in 1992 he began specializing in vascular surgery. In 1994 he completed work for a Masters in Surgery, and became a lecturer at Oxford University in 1995. In 1998 he was appointed a consultant vascular surgeon in Guildford. In March 1999 he performed the first UK keyhole surgery to eliminate varicose veins. In 2000 he, alongside Judy Holdstock, then invented the TRLOP to treat perforating veins using a more advanced keyhole technique. In 2013 Whiteley was named a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey.
The Whiteley Clinic
In July 2001 Whiteley founded The Whiteley Clinic where he continued his surgical career. Founded on the Surrey Research Park in Guildford, in 2014 the clinic expanded into London and Bristol.
Varicose veins surgery
In 2000 The Daily Telegraph wrote of Whiteley's keyhole techniques that, "Most patients still need a general anaesthetic and a night in hospital. Some may have tiny cuts where surface veins are removed, but the risk of post-operative infection is reduced because there is no wound. Mr Whiteley said the procedure had been 100 per cent successful in 130 patients so far treated. Between three and 26 per cent of patients who had traditional surgery suffered a recurrence." The surgical technique also drastically reduced recovery time, from a few weeks to a few days. In 2004 Whiteley was the first UK physician to describe the endovenous heat induced thrombosis for the treatment of varicose veins. In 2010 he called for the end of varicose vein stripping in the national media, pointing out the advantages of endovenous laser or "endovenous themoablation" which 3 and a half years later became the Clinical Guidance from NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical Evidence) CG 168. In 2012 Whiteley began using a new method of treating varicose veins using a kind of medical superglue called VenaSeal, which reduced the procedure time to approximately half an hour and removed the need for a general anaesthetic.
Incompetent Perforating Veins
The role of the incompetent perforator vein in varicose veins and venous disease is controversial. Prof Mark Whiteley showed an association between incompetent perforating veins and recurrent varicose veins in 2001 and in the same year developed the TRansLuminal Occlusion of Perforator (TRLOP) technique to treat them minimally invasively. The TRLOP technique was copied and renamed "Percutaneous Ablation of Perforators" (PAPs) in 2007 despite the five year results of TRLOP being published shortly afterwards. The apparent attempt to rename and hence take credit for describing the TRLOP technique surfaced in published form with a letter written by Professor Mark Whiteley to Phlebology. Regardless of the name given to the TRLOP technique, the controversy as to whether incompetent perforating veins need treating in patients with varicose veins continues and Professor Whiteley was invited to document his views in a published "transatlantic debate" in September 2014.
Pelvic Vein Embolisation
In 2000, Prof Mark Whiteley made the association between some leg varicose veins and pelvic venous reflux (PVR). With his team, Professor Mark Whiteley popularised transvaginal duplex ultrasound to diagnose the pelvic vein relfux and pelvic vein embolisation as the treatment of choice. Along with Alice Whiteley, his daughter and also one of the Whiteley Clinic Summer Research Fellows in 2012, they identified that untreated pelvic vein reflux was a common cause of recurrent varicose veins.
Primary Avalvular Varicose Anomalies (PAVA)
In 2013, Professor Mark Whiteley and his team described a new sort of vein associated with varicose veins. Primary Avalvular Varicose Anomalies (PAVA) are fine, refluxing, veins that run around other veins in the leg and are often associated with Pelvic Vein Reflux. They can cause recurrent varicose veins if not recognised and treated at the time of the varicose vein surgery and can be incorrectly diagnosed as neo-vascular tissue.
Sweat glands surgery
In the late 1990s Whiteley began administering the hyperhydrosis surgery using the keyhole technique to treat patients with over-active sweat glands. In the mid-2000s Whiteley began administering iontophoresis at his clinic in order to treat the problem. In 2009 Whiteley became the first British medical doctor to offer the Laser Sweat Ablation service, which treats axillary hyperhidrosis. The process starts with a local anesthetic, followed by a laser surgery that permanently kills sweat glands involved in the condition and removes them via suction. The result is a reduction in excessive sweating in those with over-active sweat glands. According to Whiteley full recovery from the surgery is completed within four to seven hours for most patients.
Hembolize ™ - Treatment for Hemorrhoids (Piles)
On 28 March 2015, Mr Gordon Buchanan, Dr David Beckett, Dr Previn Diwakar, Judy Holdstock and Mark Whiteley performed the first Hembolize ™ procedure in the world- a new way to treat hemorrhoids (plies). This procedure was conceived by Whiteley following extensive research into pelvic veins problems. The first Hembolize ™ was performed under local anaesthetic as a walk-in, walk-out procedure. It has many theoretical advantages over other hemorrhoid treatments. Research is under way to confirm these advantages.
Research
Professor Mark Whiteley has an active interest in research being a regular speaker at International and National venous conferences and has over 70 peer reviewed publications. Professor Mark Whiteley both funds and supervises several PhD students working between The Whiteley Clinic and University of Surrey and since 2008 has been running "Whiteley Clinic Summer Research Fellowships" for medical students or those wishing to be medical students.
Prizes for research
Professor Mark Whiteley and his team have won many prizes for research including:
a full list of prizes can be found on his personal website.
Media
Whiteley is a frequent guest on BBC in discussion of both his personal life and his work with curing varicose veins and over-active sweat glands. He has also been interviewed about his personal medical philosophy and the reasons not to have surgery by the The Guardian and The Daily Mail. Whiteley self-published the book Understanding Venous Reflux - the cause of varicose veins and venous leg ulcers in 2011. Since December 2012, Whiteley has been a blogger about varicose veins, leg ulcers and venous surgery on the Huffington Post.
Tatler Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Guide
Mark Whiteley has been featured in the Tatler Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty guide since 2010. In 2010 he was called the "Go-to guy for vein free legs"; 2011 "Best for legs""Results 10/10"; 2012 Featured for his work on hyperhidrosis; 2013 "Best for Legs"; 2014 his research and understanding of varicose veins were discussed; 2015 "Part Geek, Part Guru" he was featured again in "Best for legs". In 2016 he was featured once again under "Best for Veins" with a discussion on his research and prizes, as well as a discussion about his treatment of the pelvic veins and pelvic congestion syndrome.
Business
Whiteley has become recognised as a business leader in medical businesses, winning the Toast of Surrey "Business Personality of the Year" in 2012 and the IOD Director of the Year Award London and South East 2013 for Small Businesses.
The Whiteley Clinic Prestige Stakes
In 2009 the inaugural Whiteley Clinic Handicap was run at Goodwood Racecourse. The following year the Whiteley Clinic sponsored the Select Stakes. However, since 2011, the Whiteley Clinic has sponsored the Prestige Stakes.
Guildford Rugby
Professor Mark Whiteley and The Whiteley Clinic have been sponsoring Guildford Rugby since 2009.
The Leg Ulcer Charity
Professor Mark Whiteley founded a charity in 2013 called The Leg Ulcer Charity (Registered Charity Number: 1152113). This is a national charity with the aim to empower patients to find a cure for their leg ulcers. Since 2013 the Leg Ulcer Charity has been sponsoring Pippa Tallow, a PhD student, at The University of Surrey.
Guildford Philanthropy - Founding Donor
In 2013, Professor Mark Whiteley became a founding donor of Guildford Philanthropy which makes grants available for philanthropic projects in Guildford.