Background

Professor Steve Brown has been a consultant colorectal surgeon for 20 years and the Professor of Surgery since 2016.  He is based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the University of Sheffield.  He specialises in all aspects of colon, rectal and anal surgery as well as hernia repair and colonoscopic investigation.

He carried out his training at the University of Sheffield, Leeds, Edinburgh and Singapore. He was trained in colonoscopy initially by a Japanese endoscopist, utilising techniques of minimal discomfort.  Subsequent training was refined in Singapore where Professor Brown carried out over 1000 procedures in the year he was there.

Recognition of skills is reflected in being an accredited bowel cancer screener and involvement in assessing consultants who are attempting to meet these high colonoscopy standards.

He established Sheffield as a leading regional centre for treatment of faecal incontinence and constipation introducing many new techniques including scaral nerve stimulation, laparoscopic rectopexy, STARR, stapled haemorrhoidectomy, tibial neuromodulation, and repair for obstetric injury.

He runs a very large practice for these problems receiving referrals from around the region and regularly lecture nationally, educating other consultants about novel techniques.  This involves working closely with the local team of urogynaecologists. He offers anorectal assessment and biofeedback through a partnership with the gastrointestinal physiology specialists based at Thornbury.

Special Interests

He has a keen interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in close partnership with the Sheffield Gastroenterology IBD service. He offers minimally invasive surgery for Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis with the avoidance of stoma formation in the majority of operations, including J pouch procedures.

Teaching and Training

Ongoing UK government funded research aims to evaluate novel surgical techniques and assessment of patient quality of life. Nationally he is leading author of the current UK surgical guidelines for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and is immediate past Chair of the National Surgical IBD committee.

He is registered with the British Haemorrhoid Centre as a regional expert in the HALO procedure and is involved in training other consultants in this and other novel procedures. He has published on the management of piles, including papers in the Lancet.

Further research into novel techniques such as Raffaelo are ongoing. He has experience in all the latest procedures for anal fissure and fistula including anal fistula plugs, novel clipping devices, advancement flaps and pruritis ani surgery, all with same day discharge. Pilonidal surgery is a particular interest, leading on a Government sponsored grant looking into the optimal surgical management.

He offers minimal access and laparoscopic hernia procedures. For inguinal hernia operations he follows the principles of the British Hernia Centre, offering small incision local anaesthetic surgery allowing safe and effective repair with rapid discharge and recovery.

He regularly receives referrals from outside the region for complex anal, pelvic floor and inflammatory bowel problems.

From a National perspective, he is currently President of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, having been involved in the National Association for nearly 10 years. He is also Professor of Surgery at the University of Sheffield, coordinating clinical research into numerous aspects of colorectal surgery.

Procedures offered

Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy including polypectomy

Bowel resection for colorectal cancer and IBD

Pelvic floor treatment for prolapse, incontinence and constipation

• Laparoscopic prolapse repair
• Rectocoele repair
• Sacral neuromodulation
• Sphincter repair

Haemorrhoidal surgery

• Rubber band ligation
• Injection sclerotherapy
• Haemorrhoidectomy
• PPH
• HALO and THD

Fissure surgery

• Sphincterotomy
• Advancement flap

Fistula in ano

• Fistula plugs
• Over the scope clips
• Advancement flaps

Rectovaginal fistula repair

Pilonidal surgery

• Minimally invasive excision
• Complex flaps
• Glue

Open and Laparoscopic hernia surgery

• Inguinal
• Femoral
• Incisional
• Umbilical
• Recurrent and complex herniae

• Colonoscopy
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Colorectal cancer
• Haemorrhoidal surgery

Pelvic floor problems

• Incontinence surgery
• Surgery for prolapse and constipation

Hernia repair

• Laparoscopic hernia repair
• Local anaesthetic inguinal hernia repair following the principles of the British Hernia Centre

Surgery is carried out using minimally invasive and laparoscopic techniques utilising the most up-to-date procedures, many of which are unavailable in the region. There is an emphasis on rapid recovery and early discharge from hospital. Many procedures are carried out with same-day discharge.

• Royal Society of Medicine
• Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland