Dr Brown is a UK-trained general surgeon specialising in oncoplastic breast surgery and reconstruction. In addition to his consultant positions at Wellington Regional Hospital and BreastScreen Aotearoa, Dr Brown is in private practice where he treats the full range of benign and malignant breast conditions including:
Breast Disorders
Breast disorders may be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant) and range from conditions that require no treatment to those that require immediate and major surgery.
Common symptoms of breast disorders include breast pain, lumps and nipple discharge. Investigation of these symptoms by mammography and/or ultrasound may be all that is required for diagnosis but sometimes a needle biopsy may be necessary. This involves inserting a needle into an area of the breast that has been numbed by local anaesthetic and the removal of a small amount of tissue for examination under a microscope.
Breast disorders include:
- fibrocystic disease – benign changes in the breast tissue causes it to become dense or “lumpy”
- fibroadenomas – benign tumours of the breast tissue
- cysts – fluid-filled sacs
- breast infections
- breast cancer.
Many of these conditions do not require surgery and we will work with other specialists to find out the best treatment plan for you.
Oncoplastic Surgery
Oncoplastic surgery merges the principles of oncologic surgery, in which cancerous tissue is removed, with those of plastic surgery which reconstructs an area following surgery.
In oncoplastic breast surgery, plastic surgery techniques such as breast reduction or breast lift are used at the time of lumpectomy to restore a natural appearance to the breast shape.
