A-Z of Services
Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Unit
About us
Croydon Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Unit is a recognised tertiary referral centre, serving patients from across the South East of England. Our specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT) manages complex abdominal wall hernias with a comprehensive and structured approach that ensures safe, effective, and personalised care.
Our Services
· We offer a full spectrum of advanced abdominal wall reconstruction techniques, including:
· Preoperative Botulinum Toxin A (BTA) injections for chemical component separation
· Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR)
· Anterior Component Separation
· Peritoneal Flap Herniaplasty
· Progressive Preoperative Pneumoperitoneum
· Structured multidisciplinary team (MDT) assessment and optimisation
Our patients benefit from collaborative input across surgical, anaesthetic, radiological, and allied health specialties, ensuring a holistic treatment pathway.
For referrals to the service, please email:
Key MDT Members
· Mr Rhys Thomas and Mr Sam Parker, Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Leads
· Dr Helena Blake and Dr Laura Pendower, Consultant Radiologists
· Mr Al-Badry, Honorary Consultant Plastic Surgeon
· Dr Saibaba, Consultant Anaesthetist and Preoperative Botox Lead
Mr Rhys Thomas
Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon
Clinical Lead for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
Email: rhys.thomas3@nhs.net
Mr Sam Parker
Consultant Surgeon
Joint Lead for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and Research Lead
Email: samgparker@nhs.net
Mr Al-Badry
Honorary Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Mr Al-Badry specialises in reconstructive plastic surgery, contributing his expertise to complex abdominal wall reconstructions.
Dr Saibaba
Consultant Anaesthetist and Preoperative Botox Lead
Dr Saibaba brings extensive experience in anaesthesia and preoperative optimisation, including specialist Botox administration to assist in abdominal wall compliance.
Research and Publications
Our unit is actively engaged in national and international research to improve outcomes in abdominal wall reconstruction. Selected publications include:
· An established abdominal wall multidisciplinary team improves patient care and aids surgical decision making with complex ventral hernia patients (PMC)
· Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: Improving Research Quality and Identifying the Predictors of Ventral Hernia Recurrence (UCL Discovery)
· A Ventral Hernia Management Pathway; A ‘Getting It Right First Time’ approach to Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction (SAGE Journals)
For more research, visit Sam Parker's ResearchGate profile.
· Ventral Hernia Management Pathway:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38584505/
· Anatomical variability of the abdominal wall musculature:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38974808/
· Establishing an Abdominal Wall Multidisciplinary Team