Getting to Know Dr Koh Chi-Siong Dean

My practice has allowed me to provide care and relief for patients with various conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. As a surgeon, the rewarding experience is the ability to render treatment by performing a surgical procedure. The outcomes and relief are almost immediate once the recovery from the operation is complete. It is something that is difficult to ascribe words to. ​

​I treat all general surgical conditions. But most often, it involves conditions of the bowel - small bowel, colon, rectum and anus. These include both benign and malignant conditions. As colorectal cancer is currently the number one cancer in Singapore (both males and females combined), a lot of my work involves curative resection of these cancers. I employ the latest techniques in these and surgical outcomes have been reported and published in surgical literature.​

​My expertise lies in the minimally invasive realm (laparoscopic). As an expert laparoscopist, I employ standard multiport laparoscopy, single site laparoscopy, robotic assisted laparoscopy and transanal minimally invasive surgical techniques in all forms of cancer surgery.

A significant bulk of my practice also involves surgery for complex anal fistulae employing techniques such as the LIFT procedure and endo-rectal advancement flap repairs.

I believe firmly in shared responsibility. I empower my patients with all the knowledge I can provide on their condition. This allows them to make the best informed decision on their care. I walk them through the proposed treatment process so that they know exactly what to expect. It makes things so much easier for the doctor and the patient.​

​Most of the difficult challenging cases faced are those who have had complications from previous surgery, whether they were performed locally or abroad. Part of the challenge is not knowing exactly what occurred during the first operation. Very often, there's one shot at solving the problem and this is often a difficult undertaking with uncertain results and outcomes.

To put it simply, it serves to identify the problem and to offer a quick, reliable and effective solution to it.​