When should gallstones be removed?

By Mr Christian Macutkiewicz
Surgery

Mr Christian Macutkiewicz is a highly respected and experienced consultant general, HPB and hernia surgeon in Greater Manchester, who specialises in gallbladder removal surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) gallstones and hernias, alongside hernia surgery, inguinal hernias and laparoscopic surgery, as well as abdominal pain and pancreatitis. He is currently practising at the Spire Manchester Hospital and is the Director of The Gallstone Clinic and Manchester Hernia.

Mr Macutkiewicz is the President of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), the largest surgical association in the UK, representing all General Surgical Specialties. As one of the leading surgeons in the country, he prides himself in providing the highest quality of care and attention to all his patients and set the highest standards of surgical practice.

His private rooms at Spire Manchester Hospital are part of a state-of-the-art private hospital with a Critical Care Unit for the higher risk patients to ensure their safety and provide a rapid response to any medical emergency. He provides elective and emergency general surgery as well as being part of the regional HPB unit in Manchester specialising in the investigation and management of gallstones, gallbladder problems and pancreatitis. He also provides advanced laparoscopic (keyhole) and robotic hernia surgery and teaches laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery at international surgical conferences. He has treated many elite sportsmen with hernias, from cricketers, rugby players and Olympic athletes, with excellent outcomes and patient feedback.

Mr Macutkiewicz completed a first-class BSc in biochemistry at the University of Birmingham and then went on to gain honours in his MBChB medicine degree at the University of Manchester. For his research into sepsis, he received an MD doctorate of medicine from the University of Manchester, and then undertook his higher surgical training in the North West Deanery followed by a specialist HPB and Liver Transplant Fellowship in Leeds.

He started his consultant career in Nottingham before taking up a post as a specialist pancreatico-biliary and laparoscopic surgeon at the prestigious St James’s University Hospital in Leeds where he spent five years treating pancreatic, duodenal, and bile duct cancers as well as emergency general surgery. He finally moved back to Manchester in 2018 to lead the general surgical service and set up The Gallstone Clinic and Manchester Hernia at Spire Manchester Hospital.

Mr Macutkiewicz is a member of many specialist associations in the UK and internationally. He is invited to give lectures around the world on the difficult gallbladder and gallbladder surgery, laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery, training and service development and is an expert reviewer for BUPA and the BMJ. He was awarded a Clinical Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Leeds in 2017 and has received the Certificate of Excellence for delivering outstanding patient care, awarded by iwantgreatcare.org in 2021, 2022 and 2023.  He received the prestigious Top Doctor Award in 2023 for his attention to detail, outstanding outcomes and patient-centred care.

Out of the workplace he enjoys cooking, travel, fine wine and racket sports. He has recently rekindled his enjoyment of golf and hopes to improve his handicap.

Areas of interest
Gallstones; Bile duct stones; Gallbladder polyps; The Difficult Gallbladder; Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy; Groin hernias; Inguinal hernias; Umbilical hernias; Incisional hernia; Abdominal wall reconstruction; Laparoscopic hernia repair; Investigation of abdominal pains; Lipoma excision; Skin lump excisions; Acute pancreatitis; Chronic pancreatitis; Pancreatic cysts; Advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Overall assessment of their patients