Dr Allan Thomas
Consultant Neuroradiologist
MB BS DM(Radiology) FRCR MSc(Diploma)
Medico-legal work (all enquiries/correspondence) to:
Medico-Legal Secretary, SM Legal Services, High Pines, 71 Walsall Road, Little Aston,
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, B74 3BA
Tel: 0121 352 0517 Fax: 0121 353 9408
E/m: Web: www.smlegalservices.co.uk
Registration details:
General Medical Council Number: 4260002 (registered 19.12.95)
Medical Protection Society Number: 294514
CCST Date: 4th May 2003
University Education:
1988-1993 Faculty of Medical Sciences,
University of the West Indies
1988-1991 Pre-Clinical Studies and First Clinical Year,
University Hospital of the West Indies,
Mona Campus, Jamaica
1991-1993 Second and Third Clinical Years,
Port of Spain General Hospital,
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Qualifications:
February 1994 MB.BS
November 2001 DM (Radiology), U.W.I., Mona, Jamaica
November 2001 FRCR, London
December 2004 International Masters (MSc) in Neurovascular Diseases, Université Paris Sud-Faculté de Médecine de Bicêtre and Mahidol University, Thailand
Medico-Legal Profile
Dr. Thomas has previous reporting experience, and has given evidence in court.
His specialist areas of interest include:
· Vascular Diseases of the Brain and Spinal Cord including management of aneurysms,
arteriovenous malformations and acute ischaemic stroke
· Interventional Pain Management in the Spine
· Traumatic Brain Injury
· Brain and Spinal Cord Tumours
· Skull Base, Soft Tissue Neck and Temporal Bone Tumours
· Tumours of the Orbits and Neuro-Ophthalmology related imaging
· Imaging of the Brachial and Lumbosacral Plexus
Medical Experience:
Current Post October 2008 to date
Consultant Neuroradiologist
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
Interbnship Posts Jan 1994 – Jun 1995
Jan – Mar 1994 Dr T Gopeesingh
Mt. Hope Women’s Hospital, Mt Hope, Trinidad
Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Gynaecologic Oncology
Apr – Dec 1994 Port of Spain General Hospital, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Apr-Jun Mr T Ali Orthopaedics
Mr K Fung Kee Fung General Surgery
Jul-Sept Professor C Bartholomew
Gastroenterology, General Medicine
Oct-Dec Dr J Webb Paediatric Medicine
Dr P Manning-Alleyne Neonatology
Jan – Mar 1995 Dr A Popplewell
Community Medicine, County St Andrew/St. David
Apr – Jun 1995 Dr O Khan
Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, Trinidad
Internship Elective: Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Junior Medical Officer Jul 1995 – Jun 1996
Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex
Mt. Hope, Trinidad
Jul – Sept 1995 Mr L Sawh Urology
Mr R Moze Orthopaedics
Oct 1995 – Mar 1996 Mr F Saa Gandi
Urology and Vascular Surgery
Apr – Jun 1996 Dr O Khan
Dr P Maharaj
Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Junior Doctor Jul 1996 – Jun 1997
Radiology Department
University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
Dr N Moule & Dr W West, Radiology
I was on call on a one in four rota for the last three months of this period.
General Radiology Training:
Jul 1997 – May 2000 Doctor of Medicine (Radiology) Program
University Hospital of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
Mona, Jamaica
The radiology department at the University Hospital in Mona is the only 24-hour on-call service for the island of Jamaica, serving a population of approximately 2.2 million. On average, I was on call on a one in four rota for three years. I obtained experience in interpreting emergency and day-case plain films and cross-sectional imaging studies using a GE CT Synergy and a GE Logiq 500 at this institution.
I rotated through Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, Plain Film Reporting/Angiography and CT for three months at a time over the three years. During the fluoroscopy rotations I performed over a hundred barium enemas and meals and numerous biliary tract and urinary tract investigations in adults and children.
In ultrasound I performed hundreds of abdominal and pelvic studies. I became proficient at transabdominal and transvaginal studies and hysterosonography as well. I also performed a number of peripheral arterial and venous studies and imaging of small parts.
My CT experience included brain, CT angiography of the Circle of Willis, head and neck imaging, thoracoabdominal aortography, CT pulmonary angiography and hundreds of abdominal studies for trauma, GI and renal neoplasia.
There was limited opportunity for angiographic and interventional procedures. A list of the relevant screening and interventional procedures performed and assisted in at the University Hospital of the West Indies between June 1997 and May 2000 can be provided.
For my final year in the DM program I spent an elective year in the West
Midlands Training Scheme.
Jun 2000 – Oct 2001 West Midlands Training Scheme, UK
WMD\080\601\F
Jun – Sep 2000 Interventional Rotation
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
One session per week of Neuro/ENT CT/MRI
Oct 2000 – Jan 2001 Cross-Sectional Rotation
City Hospital
Two sessions per week of Neuro/ENT CT/MRI
Feb – May 2001 Neuroradiology SpR
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Jun – Sep 2001 Cross-Sectional Rotation
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Two sessions per week of ENT CT/MRI Oncology
Oct 2001 Neuroradiology and Interventional Rotation
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Two sessions per week of Neuro/ENT CT/MRI
Three sessions p/w of Paediatric Head and Neck/Vascular intervention
A log of the General and Peripheral Vascular Intervention cases I was involved in during a 4-month rotation at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and for one month at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital can be provided on request.
NEURORADIOLOGY TRAINING & POSTS:
Nov 2001 – Jun 2002 Neuroradiology SpR (THN\080\400\V)
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London (with on-call commitment to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children)
Jul 2002 – May 2003 Fellow in Interventional Neuroradiology
(NOT\080\806\V)
Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham
May 2003–Oct 2008 Consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist and Head & Neck Radiologist
Queen’s Medical Centre
Nottingham
NEURORADIOLOGY EXPERIENCE:
DIAGNOSTIC NEURORADIOLOGY AND HEAD & NECK RADIOLOGY
Cerebral and Spinal Angiography:
Over 1500 examinations performed with a wide variety of catheters and guidewires.
Craniospinal CT:
My experience began with the on-call cases at the University Hospital in Jamaica as well as the use of 3D CT angiography for the demonstration of aneurysms. This was reinforced by my exposure to acute neurovascular disease, neuro-oncology and ENT oncology in the Birmingham centres. At the National Hospital for Neurology we covered neurology and neurosurgery referrals from over 40 neurologists and 8 neurosurgeons as well as all the referrals from Moorfields Eye Hospital. At QMC I gained more experience in trauma CT, CT angiography/venography and ENT oncology.
Craniospinal MRI:
I have experience in conventional examinations of the neuraxis and the head and neck. I have also gained experience in analyzing diffusion weighted imaging, time of flight and contrast enhanced MR angiography of the circle of Willis and neck vessels. I also have experience in MR spectroscopy, MR perfusion imaging and volumetric studies for neurodegenerative disorders and hippocampal sclerosis as well as diffusion tensor imaging and tractography.
Myelography:
My myelography experience was obtained mainly in Jamaica, as we did not have access to good quality MRI. This continues today as there are many patients with non-MRI compatible pacemakers.
Videofluoroscopy:
I have experience in analyzing video swallows in patients with post operative or neurological swallowing abnormalities and globus symptoms both at the National Hospital and at the QMC.
Clinico-Radiological Meetings:
At the National Hospital for Neurology I ran the Neurosurgical, Neuro-orthopaedic, Neuro-oncology, Stroke meetings and bi-weekly Neuropathology meetings. At the QMC I ran regular Neurovascular, Neuro-oncology, Neurology and Head & Neck Cancer MDT meetings. Now, at the QEH, I have been integral to the running of the Neurology and Neuro-Oncology MDTs as well as the Neurovascular MDTs and Stroke MDTs.
INTERVENTIONAL NEURORADIOLOGY
My formal training was acquired at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the QMC. It was in my Fellowship post at the QMC that I gained the most hands-on experience.
In the ten months at the QMC, as a Fellow, I participated in over 80 interventional procedures, emergency and elective, and contributed to on-table management decisions. A summary of my logbook for all the interventional procedures I have performed at all centres as a trainee and to date as a consultant can be provided on request. In 35 of the cases I “assisted” in at the QMC I was the lead operator with a consultant supervising. As a consultant I have treated over 500 acute patients and 100 elective patients as a single operator since May 2003.
I have acquired experience in the use of many microcatheter and guiding catheter systems from eV3/Covidien, Codman and Stryker Neurovascular. I have used the GDC, Cordis DCS, Microvention and Cook coiling systems, remodelling balloons, detachable and temporary balloons as well as most generations of the Angioseal closure device. I have also used the Onyx AVM embolisation system and assisted in one Onyx aneurysm embolisation. I have experience with NBCA, PVA particles, Embospheres and the LEO, Cerebrence, Neuroform, Enterprise, Solitaire, Pipeline and FRED/LVIS stents as well as the new WEB DL, SL and SLS devices.
At the QMC, as a consultant, I had 2 designated sessions of intervention per week and 1 session for diagnostic angiography. I also assessed acute and elective admissions for procedures, obtaining informed consent and following their progress post procedure, on the wards and in clinic.
I managed a bi-weekly interventional outpatient clinic and ran the weekly Neurovascular MDT and Morbidity & Mortality meetings. We had a quarterly Neurovascular Business meeting as well as a quarterly Maxillofacial Vascular Malformation Clinic. I had been randomizing and following patients on the INVEST Trial looking at vertebroplasty versus best medical management and I was the lead physician at QMC for the ARUBA Trial looking at intervention versus best medical management for unruptured brain AVMs.
QEH TO DATE…
I have settled in at the QEH, getting to know my referring Neurologists, Neurosurgeons and ENT colleagues. I have been the neuroradiology clinical lead for stroke imaging and intervention at the QEH. I contribute to the teaching of our SpRs as well as improving on our Neuro-oncology and Neurovascular diagnostic and interventional services. I have been appointed the Neuroradiology Tutor with responsibility for our Core and Specialist Neuroradiology trainees. I am also the nominated radiologist for a number of oncology and stroke intervention trials such as RESTART, REDUCE, TICH, OPARATIC to name a few.
COURSES/CONFERENCES:
Courses/Conferences attended IN THE LAST YEAR
eV3 Acute Ischaemic Stroke Workshop Stockholm, Sweden (23/3/2011)
UKNG Education Course: DAVFs Paddington Hotel, London (25/5/2011)
Eurostroke 2011 Hamburg, Germany (24 to 27/5/2011)
Brainstorm Interventional Meeting Edinburgh (20 to 22/6/2011)
BAYER Healthcare Update on Clinical Neuro MRI London (28/6/2011)
Microvention Animal Lab California, USA (13 to 14/2/2012)
ACINR 2012 Istanbul, Turkey (30/5 to 1/6/2012)
Advanced Aneurysm/AVM techniques-Covidien Essen, Germany (20 to 21/9/2012)
WEB Animal Lab Training Magdeburg, Germany (11 to 12/12/2012)
FRED Animal Lab Training Gressy, France & Salzburg, Austria (19/12/2012 & 29/1/2013)
UKNG Winter Meetings London (24 to 25/11/2012)
Passionate about Stroke- Codman Neuro-DePuy Synthes Institute Manchester (14/5/2013)
UKNG Summer Meetings Newcastle (14 to 15/6/2013)
AUDIT:
Review of Patient Tolerance of Visipaque versus Omnipaque for Cerebral Angiography
DA Yates, A Thomas presented to QEH Radiology Consultants on March 12th, 2001
Audit of Catheter Complications in Neuroangiography
A Thomas, C Soh, H Amstell presented June 13th, 2002
CT & MRI Requests for Head & Neck Cancer
E Jones, R Lenthall, A Thomas presented April 7th, 2005
Abciximab Usage During Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral Aneurysms: Technical and Clinical Outcomes and Lessons Learned
A.J.P. Goddard, G. Tan, R. Lenthall, A. Thomas, N.Mc-Conachie (Oral presentation at WFITN 2005, Venice, Italy)
Endovascular Management of Giant Intracranial Aneurysms: A Single Centre Experience
S Boddu, A Thomas, K Woon (Oral presentation at UKRC 2006, Birmingham, UK)
PUBLICATIONS:
Brain and Facial Trauma: A neuroradiology perspective
M Varnamkhasti, A Thomas
Trauma 2011 13(4) 317–333
An unusual complication following translabyrinthine resection of an acoustic neuroma
SO Ushewokunze, A Thomas, S Lamin et al
British Journal of Neurosurgery 2011 April; 25(2): 303-5
Alcohol-related head injury: Impact on acute CT workload in a major trauma centre
T Taylor, J Mhlanga, A Thomas
British Journal of Neurosurgery 2009 December; 23(6): 622-624
Chapter on “Brain Imaging” in the 5th edition of “Radiological Procedures” by Stephen Chapman, being edited by Frances Aitcheson. I am the sole author on this chapter.
Intra-operative combustion of Onyx embolic material
S Smith, A Thomas, R D Ashpole
British Journal of Neurosurgery 2009 February; 23(1): 76-8
Non-sphenopalatine-dominant arterial supply of the nasal cavity-An unusual anatomical variation and a challenge for the management of epistaxis
D Biswas, S K Ross, A Thomas, A Sama
The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 2008 June 25:1-3
The use of a commercial remote desktop program in the delineation of target volumes in radiotherapy
K Langmack, A Thomas, D A L Morgan
The British Journal of Radiology, 81(2008), 666-667
Cholangiocarcinoma in Association With Caroli’s Disease: The Role of Ultrasound and other Imaging Modalities
P Maharaj, O Khan, A Thomas, R Naipaul
The Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, (March/April 1999); 15(2)
Posters:
A Review of Ultrasound Requests for Cholelithiasis at the University Hospital of the West Indies
W West, D Mitchell, P Johnson, A Thomas presented at Surgical Research Day UHWI – May 30th, 1997
CT Cisternography: A Review of the Experience at the UHWI
A Thomas, D Soares presented at the Surgery Research Day UHWI- May 12th, 2000
Endovascular Coiling of Ruptured and Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: Technical Results and Clinical Outcomes after six months follow-Up in 206 aneurysms
G.S. Tan, A. Goddard, A. Thomas, N.S.McConachie, R.K. Lenthall
Presented at WFITN 2005, Venice, Italy
WORK IN PROGRESS/AWAITING PUBLICATION:
1. Endovascular therapy as first line treatment for ruptured cerebral aneurysms: comparison of the demographics and outcome data for patients treated within and post ISAT. A single center experience.
AJP Goddard, A Thomas, T Jaspan, RK Lenthall, N McConachie, BD White
2. Dissecting aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery in a neonate: a case report
A Thomas, T Jaspan
3. An Unusual Facial Vein in a VGAM Baby: case report
A Thomas, H Alvarez, P Lasjuanias submitted to Interventional Neuroradiology
4. The Angioarchitectural features associated with haemorrhage, at presentation, in the Nottingham Brain AVM Cohort
S Boddu, A Thomas, N McConachie, T Jaspan, R Lenthall: oral presentation at RSNA 2007 to be published in Radiology