FAQs

Yes, Mr Khan was appointed ad works as a general and endocrine surgeon in the prestigious Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Typical wait times for an appointment is 1-2 weeks and these can be on various days of the week as well as evening appointments.

The typical wait time for surgery is 2-4 weeks. We offer surgery in a number of locations. Preassessment is usually performed over the telephone to prevent unnecessary travel.

Mr Khan works with all major UK insurance companies, as well as working with some international ones. If you’re not sure please do get in touch and we can help guide you through this

The operation is usually performed under local anaesthetic with a sedative to help relax you for surgery in the majority of cases. For very large or complex hernias a general anaesthetic may be needed. Almost all should be daycase surgery.

Under local anaesthetic surgery typically take 15-20 mins and you can expect to be walking out 60 mins after surgery is complete.

We normally recommend 2 weeks off work if your job involves physical activity. In that time you should remain mobile and stay active. Driving after 3-4 days or once you feel you can safely perform an emergency stop. Driving within 48 hours is not allowed.

Meshes have been used in hernias for many years. Recent issues were around mesh use inside the abdomen and causing internal scarring. Hernia meshes are placed in the muscle layers to help strengthen the natural tissue and should not come in contact with your internal organs. Chronic pain due to mesh irritation is rare with the self sticking mesh we use that requires no stitches (which can cause nerves to be damaged).

These are 4 small glands about the size of a grain of rice (2-4mm). They are located around the thyroid and control the body’s calcium level.

If you have been diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism then surgery is the only cure of the condition. Surgery can be performed under general anaesthetic and sometimes local anaesthetic if needed.

Yes. A scan of 2-3 cm placed in a skin crease to achieve a cure is often utilised. Examples of scars can be seen here.

Surgery typically takes 30-45 minutes and is performed through a small scar in the bottom of the neck.

With the high volume of surgery performed, risks are rare but patients will be told about failure to cure (2-3%), nerve injury causing hoarse voice (less than 1%), bleeding requiring surgery (less than 1%)

Failure to cure is minimised with Mr Khan performing his own scan the day of surgery is all cases. We use state of the art intra-operative PTH monitoring to help show that the patient is cured before waking them up. Mr Khan prefers to check all 4 parathyroid glands in surgery on most cases to ensure there are no hidden glands that need removing.

Finally, the use of nerve monitoring to check the voice nerves is used with meticulous care to protect. This means our nerve injury rate is significantly lower than the U.K. average.

The size of the scar will depend of a few factors such as patient body habitus and the size of the thyroid. Usually a 2-3 cm scar is sufficient to perform the operation.

The U.K. national database can be accessed here.

Mr Khan is the highest volume endocrine surgeon in the U.K. over the last 5 year with over 200 parathyroid operations a year and 150 thyroid.

Thyroid surgery, also called a thyroidectomy, is a procedure to remove all or part of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that regulates metabolism through hormone production.

Commonest conditions are:

• Thyroid nodules – indeterminate
• Thyroid cancer
• Overactive thyroid gland
• Large gland pressing on windpipe/gullet

• Hemithyroidectomy – involves removing the problematic half of the thyroid gland
• Total thyroidectomy – removing the whole of the thyroid gland
• Isthmusectomy – removing just the middle portion of the thyroid gland and leaving the main left and right lobes

Performed under general anaesthetic. A small scar is placed at the bottom of the neck and the thyroid gland is located and carefully removed from the surrounding attachments. Care is taken to preserve the nerves and parathyroid (calcium) glands that sit on the thyroid. State of the art devices are used to help dissect the gland away efficiently and safely which help reduce surgical time and blood loss. Nerve monitoring to help preserve the voice nerves are used in all cases.

• Most patients go home the same day or after one night
• Return to normal activities within 1–2 weeks
• Full recovery may take a few weeks
• Mr Khan will provide personalised guidance.

The adrenal glands are small glands located on top of each kidney.

They produce hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and aldosterone, which regulate metabolism, blood pressure, and stress responses.

You may need adrenal surgery if you have:

• A tumour (benign or cancerous)
• Overproduction of hormones (e.g., Cushing’s syndrome, Conn’s syndrome)
• A pheochromocytoma (a rare tumour that affects adrenaline production)
• A large or suspicious adrenal mass

There are three main approaches:

• Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) through abdomen: Small incisions, fast recovery. Similar approach to having a gallbladder removed
• Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) through back: Small incisions, very fast recovery. Often performed as daycase
• Open surgery: Larger incision, used for bigger or more complex tumours esp if large than 10cm

• Hospital stay: Typically daycase or 1 night in hospital. Can be longer in complex open operations.
• Return to normal activities: 1–4 weeks.
• You may need temporary or long-term hormone replacement medication. This will be carefully explained via our specialist endocrine unit who will advise and assist.

Most thyroid/parathyroid operations are done under general anaesthesia, meaning you are fully asleep, with continuous monitoring throughout. Royal College of Anaesthetics guidelines “You and your anaesthetic” leaflet outlines what to expect before, during, and after GA.

Thyroid/parathyroid surgery has particular considerations, including airway management (because of the surgical site), maintaining stable physiology, and careful planning for post-operative comfort and nausea control.

Usually, yes. A breathing tube (or similar airway device) is commonly used for safety and ventilation under GA. A sore throat/hoarseness can occur afterwards and is usually short-lived (RCoA patient resources cover common side effects).

Key things we watch for include:

• Pain and nausea (prophylaxis and treatment are routine)
• Neck swelling/bleeding (rare, but important because it can affect breathing—this is why early recovery monitoring is careful)
• After parathyroid/thyroid surgery, some patients can develop low calcium symptoms (tingling around lips/fingers, cramps); your surgical team will advise if blood tests or supplements are needed (surgery-led, but anaesthesia teams remain alert to symptoms).

Temporary hoarseness is commonly from airway devices. Longer-lasting voice change is more often related to surgical factors (e.g., nerve irritation). Your team will explain expected risks for your operation.