Mr Chandrasekaran Kaliaperumal

Written by a carer at Western General Hospital

My Dad was taken into hospital very suddenly at the beginning of the pandemic and Dr Kaliaperumal made a strong case to put my Dad forward for surgery. At all times when speaking to him over the phone he was empathetic, warm and professional. He was very happy to answer questions and did an expert job of explaining the medical side to us coherently. My Dad and I got the chance to meet Dr Kaliaperumal recently for an appointment and he was extremely kind and interested in how my Dad was doing. A really fantastic Doctor.

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Written by a patient at Western General Hospital

Mr Kaliaperumal is an amazing surgeon and I cannot recommend him highly enough. I suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia for 10 years (since the age of 17) and had so many unsuccessful treatments in this time. I had almost given up hope of ever getting relief from the pain when I was referred to Mr Kaliaperumal. From the very beginning he put me and my husband at ease, explaining everything so clearly and logically to us. He showed us my MRI results and talked us through them, as well as the Microvascular Decompression surgery he highly recommended as treatment for my condition. I was extremely nervous about the prospect of this, but Mr Kaliaperumal helped reassure me that I was in the best hands and would receive the best care. He patiently answered every one of our questions, until we had no doubt this was the right thing to do. He has such a kind, calm and compassionate manner, I felt he was truly interested in me as an individual and in achieving the best possible outcome. The surgery went very smoothly and Mr Kaliaperumal took the time to phone my husband personally to tell him when I woke up from the anaesthetic. Despite being so busy with other patients he also checked on me several times in the ward afterwards, and his confidence in my total recovery definitely helped me stay positive throughout everything. I was discharged after 6 days, and not long afterwards was able to come off all my medication. I have been 100% pain free since the surgery and still wake up every morning in disbelief that it is completely gone! Mr Kaliaperumal is truly amazing, and I will be forever grateful to him and his wonderful team at the Western for everything they have done.

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Written by a carer at Royal Hospital for Sick Children

My son was born with nonsyndromic sagittal craniosynostosis. It was flagged at birth, and confirmed at our first appointment with Mr Chandru Kaliaperumal when my son was around 5 weeks old. Obviously my wife and I had been very concerned - we had no prior knowledge of the condition, and much of the information available online was either focussed on extreme cases, or was from quite some time ago where interventions were more crude and outcomes less favourable. In particular, we were very anxious to know if our son's case was syndromic or nonsyndromic - a very significant difference. Chandru put us at ease right away, and impressed us immediately with his calm, friendly, confident manner. He explained both the condition and the recommended treatment in a very clear, understandable way. He also showed great awareness and empathy in drawing out and allaying our fears born from the online research we had done. Chandru explained the options at hand - including non-intervention - and the potential risks and rewards associated with each course of action. Whilst he was careful not to force any treatment on us, he did make a very clear recommendation for cranial vault remodelling surgery. We left the meeting fully convinced that our boy was in great hands, and that his condition would be treated successfully. Chandru passed on phone numbers of the parents of two patients whose children had been through the procedure, and speaking with them was very helpful and reassuring. We had a second visit with Chandru when our son was about 9 months old, to cover any further questions we might have had, with the surgery having previously been scheduled for when our boy was 10.5 months old, in April 2020. Unfortunately, due to the Covid19 situation, the surgery was postponed - first by three weeks. Chandru phoned us to give us the news of the delay, and reassured us that the outcome would not be negatively impacted. We got a second call from Chandru to confirm our fears - the worsening Covid19 situation had led to all non-critical surgeries being postponed. Whilst our son's operation was technically non-critical, the window for successfully correcting his deformity was a limited one, and we were very worried that we might miss it. Chandru was empathetic, and reassured us that his team would lobby to get the procedure reinstated. Thankfully, they did, and the operation went ahead in May 2020, less than seven weeks after the initial date. The circumstances were somewhat altered due to Covid19 precautions - only one parent allowed on the ward at any one time, no sleeping on the ward, face masks at all times on the ward, etc - which did add to our anxiety. The day prior to the surgery, I met Chandru's colleague, Mr Gallo, who talked me through the procedure and the associated risks. Again, I felt we were in good hands, and he seemed both highly capable and empathetic. The surgery was a complete success (with the caveat that I write this only two weeks post-op, but doctors and patient alike all seem very happy!). Our son spent four nights on Ward 7, and we felt he was looked after very well. He had very significant facial swelling after about two days - which was expected, and we had been forewarned about - but overall he bounced back remarkably quickly. Chandru had repeatedly insisted that we would be amazed how quickly our boy would get back to normal, and he was absolutely correct. In terms of outcome, the positive impact of the surgery is already visible. Our son's face is significantly rounder already, with the mid-temple pinch already much less prominent. His head is already notably rounder from above, and the prominent protrusion at the rear has been significantly minimised. According to Chandru, as his head continues to grow over the next two years, it will become increasingly round to the point where there will be little or no evidence that he ever had sagittal craniosynostosis. The craniofacial service provided by Chandru and his team at the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in Edinburgh has been absolutely top class, and we couldn't be happier with the outcome for our son.

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Written by a patient at Western General Hospital

From the first moment I met Mr Kaliaperumal I was impressed by his manner and professionalism. His explanation of my condition (I had a grade 1 mengioma) was clear, concise and understandable even to a lay man. His manner was exemplary and filled me full of confidence. His detailed explanation of the proposed treatment was second to none. All my questions were answered with care and respect. I could not have been better under any other neurosurgeon. He visited me in the ward during my recovery on many occasions answering further questions and worries. In fact ,Mr K, as we call him now, could not have done anything better. The outcome of the operation was a great success, but I was warned that the tumour might return at some stage in the future. I was put on a wait and watch basis with regular scans and follow up appointments, which were conducted in his usual informative and professional manner. Our list of questions that had been prepared in advance were always answered with detailed explanations of the pros and cons. On balance, you could not come across a more caring professional neurosurgeon. Please also note that Mr K has a wicked sense of humour which is a real comfort in the difficult circumstances that one might find yourself in !

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Written by a patient at Western General Hospital

Mr Kaliaperumal is a fine surgeon and he put me at ease on meeting him to discuss my surgery. I felt confident immediately by his calm manner and his explanation on what to expect during my surgery. He saw me imeediately after surgery and reassured me that all went well and came back later to check on me. I cant speak highly enough of this gentleman, he has effectively turned my life around. Derek

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