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General/Colorectal, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeon

About

Mr Mark Omundsen is a General/Colorectal, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeon with a particular interest in colorectal and pelvic floor disorders.  After completing the Australasian Surgical fellowship (FRACS) in 2009 he successfully applied to the Colorectal Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ) subspecialty colorectal fellowship program.  He spent the next two years obtaining subspecialist expertise in the field of colorectal surgery and successfully completed the fellowship program in 2011.

Mark is especially interested in the use of minimally invasive surgical approaches such as laparoscopic, single incision laparoscopic surgical (SILS) and trans-anal minimally invasive surgical (TAMIS) techniques in the management of colorectal diseases, abdominal wall herniae and gallbladder pathology.

His subspecialty interests include surgical management of colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, rectal prolapse and defaecatory disorders such as incontinence and obstructive defaecation.  He takes an active part in research programmes at Tauranga Hospital, and has published widely in the fields of both general surgery and colorectal surgery. He regularly attends international conferences to stay up to date with modern management of colorectal disorders.

Mark is fully accredited with the New Zealand conjoint committee for the performance of both upper (gastroscopy) and lower (colonoscopy) gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Mark moved to the beautiful Bay of Plenty with his wife and 3 children in 2012  He works as a specialist surgeon at both Tauranga Public Hospital and Grace Hospital, managing a wide range of general and colorectal pathologies.  He is actively involved in junior surgeon training at the public hospital, and has a mentoring role for junior doctors (intern supervisor).

Qualifications

1

BHB

Bachelor of Human Biology (Auckland).
2

MBChB

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Auckland).
3

FRACS

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Memberships

Procedures

Endoscopy

Mark has full accreditation with the conjoint committee for the performance of both gastroscopy and colonoscopy.  He performs over 300 of these procedures per year. He is fully trained in advanced interventional techniques for colonic polyp removal.

Hernia

Mark is experienced in many types of hernia repairs using laparoscopic techniques where possible to speed recovery and allow earlier return to work.  He is also trained in advanced hernia repair techniques for complex herniae such as component release and sublay mesh repairs.

Gallbladder

Mark is fully trained in laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder (laparoscopic cholecystectomy).  This allows for smaller incisions, short hospital stay (one night is typical) and faster return to normal activity.

Colorectal

Mark is fully trained and very experienced in the management of most colorectal disorders in particular bowel cancer, rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.  He has a close relationship with local oncologists and gastroenterologists ensuring comprehensive care. He can perform a wide variety of these operations laparoscopically (keyhole) to allow faster recovery and better cosmetic results.  This includes bowel resections of which he does between 80-100 per year.

He is also very experienced in the management of ano-rectal disorders such as haemorrhoids, fissures and anal fistulae.

Pelvic Floor

Pelvic floor disorders are complex and increasingly common place in our aging population.  These include rectal prolapse and defaecatory disorders such as incontinence (leakage of bowel content) and obstructive defaecation (difficulty passing a bowel motion). Mark performs a complete and modern assessment of each individual patient to tailor the appropriate treatment options which may or may not involve surgery. He has a close working relationship with a local gynaecologist which can facilitate combined procedures.

Endometriosis

Mark has worked closely with local gynaecologist Mr Brad Chittenden since coming to Tauranga in 2012. Together, they undertake surgical treatment of complex pelvic endometriosis. The synergistic pairing of two highly trained surgical specialists has benefited the local community by allowing the surgical treatment of very complex endometriosis to be undertaken in the Bay of Plenty, with patients previously having to travel to Waikato.  Mark works alongside Mr Chittenden when there is concern that endometriosis may involve the bowel or rectum, and sub-speciality colorectal surgical skills may be required. This multidisciplinary approach has achieved excellent patient outcomes.

Get in touch

    Office Hours

    9.00 AM – 5.00 PM
    Monday – Friday

    Contact Details

    The Specialist Centre,
    752 Cameron Rd, Tauranga.