injuryupdate
04-06-2007, 07:51 AM
Interesting article about the neurosurgery fraternity being upset by a single practitioner coming out on TV saying "I'm the best..." Similar things get said and ruffle feathers in orthopaedics:
Surgeons lash out at TV darling (from The Australian)
By Ean Higgins
June 04, 2007 02:00am
Teo's work 'not heroic'
Surgeon has incensed Neurological Society
Advertisements slam top surgeon
JEALOUSIES in the elite world of brain surgeons have spilled into the open, with the group's association running national advertisements saying high-flying Charles Teo's self-described heroic work is nothing exceptional.
The Neurosurgical Society of Australasia is clearly incensed by Dr Teo's repeated statements that he is prepared to go where other brain surgeons fear to tread.
Dr Teo, of Sydney's Prince of Wales Private Hospital, last week appeared on Channel 9's 60 Minutes, where he said "I think I'm the best."
In the program, Dr Teo gives the impression that he is the only neurosurgeon pioneering "keyhole surgery" in taking out brain tumours, and that the 130 brain surgeons in the NSA are jealous of him.
"If it'd been some other neurosurgeon bringing keyhole surgery to Australia, maybe they would have had more luck. But, you know, it's Charlie Teo I think that they don't like. They're not giving it a fair chance."
The episode shows Dr Teo taking a tumour out of the brain of 12-year-old Nathan Bonnici, through a small hole in his left eyebrow.
Dr Teo, the motorcycle-riding son of Chinese parents, resigned from the NSA, which covers almost all neurosurgeons in Australia and New Zealand, in 2003.
Dr Teo seems to have become something of a regular on 60 Minutes, having earlier appeared as the surgeon who conquered the brain tumour of leading oncologist Chris O'Brien.
Nine presents him in glowing terms: "It says a lot about Charlie Teo that he's prepared to stand up and fight, while his enemies run for cover," is the way he is introduced.
At the weekend, the NSA stopped running for cover. The advertisement signed by the society's president, Eric Guazzo, slammed into Dr Teo's claim to be doing something unique.
"The society is concerned that a recent media presentation may have caused the incorrect perception that the standard of neurosurgery available in Australia and New Zealand is not of the highest standard," Dr Guazzo wrote in the advertisement, which takes the form of an extended open letter.
Speaking of Dr Teo's keyhole surgery claims, Dr Guazzo wrote: "The suggestion during the interview that there is a reluctance to use or that this type of surgery is not widely available in Australia and New Zealand is erroneous and disparages the professional skill and knowledge available."
Contacted by The Australian yesterday, Dr Guazzo, who works at Townsville hospital, said he often used the technique himself, and that it had been used in all types of surgery for decades.
"You can go in through the nose, through the eyebrows," he said.
Asked about Dr Teo's claim to be a brain surgeon without peer, Dr Guazzo said: "Dr Teo is a competent technical neurosurgeon".
Nathan Bonnici's mother, Donna, said the operation on her son had been a success, with the benign tumour gone, minimal scarring, and no adverse effects.
"I believe Charlie is the best," she said.
Dr Teo could not be contacted yesterday.
Surgeons lash out at TV darling (from The Australian)
By Ean Higgins
June 04, 2007 02:00am
Teo's work 'not heroic'
Surgeon has incensed Neurological Society
Advertisements slam top surgeon
JEALOUSIES in the elite world of brain surgeons have spilled into the open, with the group's association running national advertisements saying high-flying Charles Teo's self-described heroic work is nothing exceptional.
The Neurosurgical Society of Australasia is clearly incensed by Dr Teo's repeated statements that he is prepared to go where other brain surgeons fear to tread.
Dr Teo, of Sydney's Prince of Wales Private Hospital, last week appeared on Channel 9's 60 Minutes, where he said "I think I'm the best."
In the program, Dr Teo gives the impression that he is the only neurosurgeon pioneering "keyhole surgery" in taking out brain tumours, and that the 130 brain surgeons in the NSA are jealous of him.
"If it'd been some other neurosurgeon bringing keyhole surgery to Australia, maybe they would have had more luck. But, you know, it's Charlie Teo I think that they don't like. They're not giving it a fair chance."
The episode shows Dr Teo taking a tumour out of the brain of 12-year-old Nathan Bonnici, through a small hole in his left eyebrow.
Dr Teo, the motorcycle-riding son of Chinese parents, resigned from the NSA, which covers almost all neurosurgeons in Australia and New Zealand, in 2003.
Dr Teo seems to have become something of a regular on 60 Minutes, having earlier appeared as the surgeon who conquered the brain tumour of leading oncologist Chris O'Brien.
Nine presents him in glowing terms: "It says a lot about Charlie Teo that he's prepared to stand up and fight, while his enemies run for cover," is the way he is introduced.
At the weekend, the NSA stopped running for cover. The advertisement signed by the society's president, Eric Guazzo, slammed into Dr Teo's claim to be doing something unique.
"The society is concerned that a recent media presentation may have caused the incorrect perception that the standard of neurosurgery available in Australia and New Zealand is not of the highest standard," Dr Guazzo wrote in the advertisement, which takes the form of an extended open letter.
Speaking of Dr Teo's keyhole surgery claims, Dr Guazzo wrote: "The suggestion during the interview that there is a reluctance to use or that this type of surgery is not widely available in Australia and New Zealand is erroneous and disparages the professional skill and knowledge available."
Contacted by The Australian yesterday, Dr Guazzo, who works at Townsville hospital, said he often used the technique himself, and that it had been used in all types of surgery for decades.
"You can go in through the nose, through the eyebrows," he said.
Asked about Dr Teo's claim to be a brain surgeon without peer, Dr Guazzo said: "Dr Teo is a competent technical neurosurgeon".
Nathan Bonnici's mother, Donna, said the operation on her son had been a success, with the benign tumour gone, minimal scarring, and no adverse effects.
"I believe Charlie is the best," she said.
Dr Teo could not be contacted yesterday.