Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan

Endoscopist

On the 17th October 1981, Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan started “THE ENDOSCOPY CENTRE” in Chennai, and did the first Upper GI endoscopy for Mr. R. Subramanian, a patient referred by Dr. Pratap.C.Reddy, the Founder of Apollo Hospitals.

After an unfruitful struggle over a year, trying to get a loan from various banks to purchase the endoscope, it was the intervention of a family friend, a large hearted businessman, Mr. Prabhasa Raya Reddy, who convinced his neighbor, the then Chairman of the Bank of Madura to grant Dr. Mani a loan. Within a month the endoscope had been imported, and the first procedure had been done.

With the guidance from his Professor of Surgery, Dr. N.S.Murali, and the assistance of his colleague, Dr. M.Ratnakumar, Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan, started doing both diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopic work.

In 1984, he left Chennai for West Germany (divided as Germany was then), where breakthrough advances in therapeutic endoscopy were just happening. He was a pupil of, and worked with Prof. Wolfgang Rosch in Frankfurt, learning the techniques of Colonoscopy, polypectomy, oesophageal balloon dilatation, varices sclerotherapy and ERCP. These procedures were just being developed, with the in-house engineering and optics assistance provided by companies like Karl Storz, Olympus, etc. These labs, which were situated within the campus would engineer new pieces of endoscopic accessories, as and when the need for one was felt.

He moved on to Kiel, where Prof.Kurt Semm, ( currently accepted as the "father" of operative Laparoscopic surgery), had just performed, and published details of the world’s first” Laparoscopic Appendectomy”. Prof. Semm was a professor of Gynaecology in the University of Kiel, and went on to making Laparoscopy safe with his invention of the Carbon Dioxide insufflators, which are used all over the world now. After obtaining a Diploma in Endoscopic Surgery at Kiel, Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan moved to the United Kingdom.

Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan had worked with the world renowned Neurosurgeon, Prof.B.Ramamurthi, during his early surgical training. Prof. B. Ramamurthi wanted him to meet and work with Prof. Huw Griffith, eminent Neurosurgeon at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, UK. Prof Griffith was then developing a “Ventriculoscope”, an endoscopic instrument, to look into the cavities of the Brain.

On his return to India, Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan went about constructing a “Ventriculoscope” . With the fabrication industry hardly existent then, it required the assistance of Mr.Rajiv Choudhry, who was into manufacturing components for the automobile industry, to help fabricate this endoscope.

The first “Ventriculoscopy” in South East Asia was performed by him for Prof.Ramamurthi’s patient, in 1986, at the Voluntary Health Services Hospital, Chennai. This instrument which was made by Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan is still preserved at the ALNC Neurosurgery Department’s Museum at the Voluntary Health Services Hospital, Chennai.

Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan set up the Department of Endoscopy at the Voluntary Health Services Hospital and also at Malar Hospital, Chennai. He also started performing diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy for noted Gynaecologists, Prof. Indira Ramamurthi, Dr. Prema Krishnaswami and Dr. Nithya Ramamurthi.

Soon after his return to Chennai, in 1986, at the instance of his colleague, Dr.V.Jinadas, he shifted The Endoscopy Centre to larger premises at TTK Road, owned by Mrs. Jaya Ramdas and Mr. Ramdas. Thanks to the generosity of this family, the Centre remained here for almost 30 years, before shifting to its current location on Dr. Radhakrishnan Road in Mylapore.

The Centre grew to provide an open access, one stop, Endoscopy service for the medical practitioners in Madras, Tamilnadu and neighbouring states. State of the art, high resolution, electronic, video endoscopy systems are used, in tandem with highly trained staff. More than 53000 procedures have been performed at the Centre.Routine diagnostic procedures include, flexible video upper GI endoscopies, colonoscopies, and bronchoscopies. Early detection of cancer with “Chromoscopy” and Magnification endoscopy are performed.

Therapeutic procedures like polypectomies, dilatations, bleed control, interventional bronchoscopy, prosthesis placements are done routinely.

Routine Colon Cancer screening is performed.

Endoscopic and colonoscopic procedures can also be performed under sedation or anaesthesia.

"Non Invasive" Helicobacter Pylori testing, by the Breath Test has been available at the Centre since 2003. The Heliprobe Machine and also the Headway analyzers are available at the Centre for detection of H.pylori infection by the breath test. The centre has been performing H.pylori detection by Endoscopy since 1988, soon after the Bacteria was discovered and implicated in the cause of peptic ulcers.

The Centre also undertakes Capsule endoscopy for detecting small intestinal lesions.

The Centre works Monday through Saturday, from 8am till 5.30pm. Both referred, and walk-in patients are seen.

The Centre has been in forefront in medical software generation since 1989. It has to its credit innovative software programmes for test reporting, video image handling, and specially generated software to help in real time magnification endoscopy. Records are available in the electronic format for all patients since 1988. A video library of all varieties of endoscopic procedures are available for training purposes. Dr. Mani Veeraraghavan has contributed images and chapters for Textbooks of Surgery.

The Centre provides concessional and free services to poor patients referred by authorised aid agencies and mission hospitals.

The Centre has a teaching program for aspiring doctors who are interested in Endoscopy and Endosurgery, as well as for Nurses and Endoscopy Assistants. 43 Doctors from India and neighbouring countries have been trained in Endoscopy techniques.

Patients desiring appointments may contact: Tel: +91-44-28113131 / +91-44-28110854, mobile +91-9941813131, email: theendoscopycentre@gmail.com

Address: The Endoscopy Centre , Canray Health, 91, Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004.