Mr Erlick Pereira

Written by a carer at St George's Hospital

My husband has prostate cancer that spread to his spine and caused it to collapse and squash his spinal cord. He was transferred to St George's with extremely weak legs unable to walk and we met Mr Pereira very late one evening. Despite being between operations, he was extremely kind and reassuring to us and not rushed at all as he explained the problem in a way we could really understand and feel truly confident in him and his team. My husband had an operation to remove tumour and make space for his spinal cord and screws in his spine, "scaffolding to keep it strong" as Mr Pereira put it in his clear and confidence inspiring way. He healed well and his legs have improved and he was able to have more treatment. Mr. Pereira was able to meet us in a dark and terrifying situation when we thought my husband would be paralysed and was dying and not only comfort us but made my husband walk again. We owe him and his complex spinal surgery team so much and I cannot recommend him highly enough. We feel very lucky to have been treated by such a caring, professional and gifted neurosurgeon and hope he keeps inspiring and performing miracles!

Recommend

Trust

Listening

Written by a patient at St George's Hospital

Dr E Pereira, was kind and understanding. He explained fully my procedure and explained that he would use a small hole as possible to limit the tissue damage.

Recommend

Trust

Listening

Written by a patient at St George's Hospital

I had an unfortunate Mountain Bike accident in August this year (2016) as a result of which I broken most of my ribs on left hand side, my left hand, left clavicle and left scapula as well as fracturing my L3 vertebrae which was the injury that the doctors were most concerned about. I was flat on my back not moving for two days before Mr Pereira could operate. The operation basically consisted of relocating the broken piece of L3 and securing it between two rods which were secured to L2 and L4. The operation appeared to be succesful and some 36 hours later I was up on my feet walking around and life felt pretty good. Unfortunately I started to get shooting pains down my left leg when I moved around, which gradually got worse and worse. Mr Pereira re-examined me via a CT scan and it was discovered that one of the screws in L4 had become loose and was placing a strain on my spinal cord, causing the shooting pains. I was back to being flat on my back not daring to move in case I did any more damage, fearing the worse. As I laid there I had some pretty dark thoughts of maybe not being about to walk again or even worse being paralysed, all because I had fallen of my bike due to a stupid mistake on my behalf. Anyway a day later Mr Pereira operated for the second time. I went down around 16:30 and was back on the ward around 21:30, having been told the operation was succesful and the loose screw was firmly secured. The next morning at around 08:00 I was up on my feet walking around with no pain. It was truly like a miracle as far as I was concerned. One minute I was contemplating never walking again and the next I was running around (not quite, more like shuffling). People have asked me if I was annoyed by the screw becoming loose and having to have the second operation. I can honestly say no and it was better it came loose while I was still in hospital so I could get treated straightaway. I think people forget how difficult and complicated operating on the human body is, such is the impact of TV Hospital shows, and sometimes for nobody's fault things go awry. All through the process Mr Pereira kept me informed on what was going to happen and what had happened. I appreciated his honesty in revealing the first operation was not as succesful as they had hoped and what the second operation would achieve. Anyway some 4 months later my legs and back are all good and the rest of my body is also healing. I still consider what Mr Pereira did for me was a miracle and I will always be grateful to him and his team, they are truly miracle workers!

Recommend

Trust

Listening

Written by a patient at St George's Hospital

I have Parkinson's disease and for many years have sought to have deep brain stimulation ("DBS") as a way of managing the effects of this illness. I was fortunate to be selected by the Movement Disorders Team ("MDT") at St George's Hospital at an assessment meeting during which I met Mr Pereira for the first time. During the meeting we discussed various aspects of the procedure and I immediately felt a bond with Mr Pereira due to his calm, forthright, assured and confident manner. Everything that I read about him confirmed him to be eminently qualified to perform this operation and so I had no hesitation in proceeding. The operation was performed on the 20th September 2016 at the Atkinson Morley Wing of St George's Hospital. Before, during and after the operation Mr Pereira took time to make himself available to me for questions and re-assurance. During the operation, which is fairly invasive and during which I was kept awake, Mr Pereira kept a dialogue going with me to put my mind at rest and to keep me appraised of what they were doing and what stage they had reached. The operation has been a complete success and I look forward to many years of an improved lifestyle due to Mr Pereira's skills as a surgeon and as a personable and approachable person. The wounds created by the operation have fully healed and were very neatly performed. I recommend Mr Pereira most highly as a skilled and caring neurosurgeon. Thomas Makinson

Recommend

Trust

Listening

Written by a patient at St George's Hospital

I am a retired nurse - I saw Mr. Pereira for very bad back and leg pain because of a slipped spine and squashed nerves. He was very caring and clear in clinic to explain my scans and my problem in a way I could understand and seemed happy and pleased to help me and answer my questions. He made space for my nerves in my spine and put titanium screws and rods in my back to stop it slipping further. My pain is gone and I now enjoy long walks and jogging again. My wound has healed beautifully and the stitches he used did not need removing. The whole team at St George's was lovely to me and I cannot recommend Mr Pereira and them highly enough. I think he is a top class surgeon with a wonderful team.

Recommend

Trust

Listening