What we do
We're the south coast's regional referral unit for complex liver disease, including portal hypertension (an increase in blood pressure in the portal venous system), liver transplantation, and hepatocellular carcinoma (the most common type of primary liver cancer).
Key services
Viral hepatitis
We treat patients with viral hepatitis B and C infections, and we're a regional hub delivering cutting edge antiviral medication for hepatitis C. The service is delivered by consultants, alongside our clinical nurse specialists, with input from a consultant virologist and a dedicated specialist senior pharmacist. Specialists work together closely, helping us to provide complex antiviral treatments seamlessly and safely. We have weekly multidisciplinary meetings to look at treatment plans for patients with viral hepatitis.
Local alcohol prevention service
Our team of alcohol nurses help patients who want to cut down their alcohol intake as well as people who have given up drinking completely. They support patients throughout the hospital, and work closely with community alcohol services.
Professor Sinclair and Dr Mark Wright also work closely with the media to promote awareness of alcoholic related disease, and highlight it as a major public health problem.
Liver transplantation service
As a regional liver referral centre, patients with liver disease who are candidates for a liver transplant are referred to us. We work closely with Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, providing all pre and post transplant care in Southampton so patients only need to travel to Cambridge for the actual transplantation procedure. Our links with the transplant service also mean that patients with complex advanced liver disease who do not yet need a transplant can have access to transplant centre expertise.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
We're the regional centre for treating primary liver cell cancer, offering a full range of treatments including surgical resection, liver transplantation (via our link with Addenbrooke's), microwave ablation, chemoembolisation, liver radiotherapy (SIRTEX) and oral medication (eg. sorafenib). We have a joint clinic with interventional radiology, meaning you can have imaging and a clinical consultation in one visit, receiving immediate scan results.