Mr Thomas Armstrong

I am a general surgeon with a dedicated interest in liver, pancreatic, bile duct, gallbladder and hernia surgery (HPB Surgery). This is a highly specialised area of surgery and I receive referrals from GPs, gastroenterologists and surgeons throughout Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Isle of Wight and The Channel Islands.

Because I am super specialised, I perform a very large volume of surgery in a narrow field. I have done more than 800 major HPB cases and assisted with a further 200 procedures as a trainee. I was fortunate to train in an era when HPB surgery had been centralised to major hospitals and I am amongst the vanguard of modern surgeons who have benefited from such intensive training. I have also trained in the era of keyhole surgery and undertake approximately 50% of my liver surgery using this technique. It is important to understand that keyhole surgery is not always better and I would only recommend minimally invasive surgery when appropriate.

In addition to this I have operated on countless patients with gallstones and hernias. Nearly all gallbladder and gallstone related surgery is done with keyhole surgery. Clinicians based in other local hospitals often seek my advice and help in managing patients with difficult or challenging gallstone disease or the consequences of it.

I work with other dedicated specialists from anaesthetics, medicine, radiology, and oncology to ensure that every patient that I see is offered the most up to date treatment that benefits from the expertise of the whole medical team. I carefully monitor my outcomes and submit detailed reports on my surgery to the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS) on the SWORD database. The volume of surgery that I undertake is significantly greater than the national average (approx 65 major resections per annum) and post-operative mortality rate (<1%), which is significantly lower than national average.

I lead the Wessex Neuroendocrine Tumour Group, which was recognised as a European Centre of Excellence for treating patients with neuroendocrine/carcinoid tumours.

I am married with 3 children. My free time is spent with my family, often involving some kind of sport, preferably outside and ideally by the sea. I enjoy sailing, cycling and playing golf. I am a keen follower of current affairs and most sport. I live in Southampton, which means that I find it easy to come into hospital to see my patients at short notice.

The feedback that I get from my patients is excellent. I feel that the high number of health care professionals and their relatives who I treat these days vindicates my approach. I feel passionate about the work that I do and the patients that I treat and I always strive to do my very best for everyone I care for.

Diseases, Medical Tests and Treatments

Distal pancreatectomy

Bile duct exploration

Bile duct reconstruction

Keyhole surgery

Neuroendocrine Tumours

Carcinoid disease

Liver cancer

Pancreas cysts

Pancreatic Cancer

Duodenal cancer