Professor Alan McNeill

Consultant Urological Surgeon

QualificationsB Med Sci, BM BS, FRCS(Urol)

Member of:

• Honorary Professor in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot Watt University
• Member of British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) – Secretary of BAUS Section of Oncology executive committee
• Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Member of European Association of Urologists
• Member of Association of Academic European Urologists

Clinical interests:

All general urological conditions
Subspecialty interest in prostate and kidney cancer and minimal access surgery
Research interests into mechanical palpation of tissue

Training and Background

Since taking up my consultant post I have built upon the training I had towards the minimally invasive management of urological cancers. My practice as a Consultant Urological Surgeon has allowed continued development of my laparoscopic skills in a progressive and planned way as outlined below:

A) Urological Oncological Surgery
As a trainee I spent time with Professor Mark Soloway, at the University of Miami, where I gained useful experience in all aspects of a surgical urological oncology practice, in particular of radical retropubic prostatectomy for prostate cancer and cystectomy for bladder cancer. This experience was complemented by exposure to open pelvic cancer surgery, conducted under supervision, as a senior specialist registrar. During the first years of my consultant post I enjoyed managing all urological cancers, including prostatic and bladder cancer, and gained a good experience of open pelvic cancer surgery.

B) Laparoscopic Urological Surgery
As the shape of our department changed following retirement of senior colleagues I took the clinical lead on the surgical management of renal cancer. Having received appropriate training in laparoscopy as a Specialist Registrar I was able to increase the application of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy within our department. In recognition of this I was selected as one of the first BAUS Preceptees to be sent to the Cleveland Clinic under the tutelage of Dr Inderbir Gill. The objective of this programme was to train 12 selected individuals in advanced laparoscopic surgical techniques to allow them to return to the UK and to further disseminate laparoscopic skills through their practice and through participation in BAUS organized skills courses. As intended my practice in laparoscopic surgery has developed steadily and I have now conducted in excess of 1000 complex laparoscopic procedures (simple and radical nephrectomy, adrenalectomy, nephroureterectomy, dismembered pyeloplasty, varicocele ligation, pelvic lymph node dissection, endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy). Our unit remains at the forefront of developing laparoscopy in Scottish Urology as the only centre where laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is the standard for prostate cancer surgery, laparoscopic nephrectomy the standard for renal cancer, and laparoscopic cystectomy is being developed for the management of bladder cancer.