My name is Professor Danny Cheriyan, and I’m a Consultant Gastroenterologist in Beaumont Hospital. I work in all areas of gastroenterology but I have a special interest in advanced endoscopy. One of the procedures that I’m particularly interested in is Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD).

ESD is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure that is performed under general anaesthesia. I use a flexible tube called an endoscope to see and treat early cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus and stomach). This procedure allows for a lesion to be removed in one piece, without the need for removing a large part of the oesophagus or stomach. This results in a much shorter procedure, shorter length of stay in hospital (typically 1 day), and a much easier recovery for the patient (compared to major surgery, which involves a 12 to 14 inpatient stay). Most importantly, patients have their natural anatomy intact after the procedure.

Beaumont Hospital is currently the only hospital in the country performing ESD. We began this procedure 2 years ago and have performed it successfully on over 30 patients. To further advance our skills and patient care, I will be undertaking a short sabbatical in Japan this year, to train further and gain more experience with this advanced technique.