DR. Apostolos Goropoulos was born in Thessaloniki on September 27, 1955. In his early childhood he moved with his parents to Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived until the age of 30.  He graduated from the Medical School of the University of Carabobo Valencia in 1980 and specialized in General Surgery at the University Hospital of Caracas (1980-1985). He attended a Fellowship in Endocrine Surgery and subsequently worked as “Chef de Clinique“ of the Endocrine Surgery Clinic of the University Hospital of Lille, France (1989-1990). He then returned to his birthplace Thessaloniki where he lives and works since 1990. He has worked as a Consultant at the Surgical Departments of the Naousa and Papageorgiou General Hospitals.  Since 2008 he has been working as a Consultant in Endocrine Surgery in St Luke’s Hospital, Thessaloniki.  His activity is focused exclusively in the field of Endocrine Surgery with a case load exceeding 5000 cases to date.

Further training and courses

He participated in several advanced training courses in endocrine surgery, minimally invasive and robotic techniques in England, Switzerland, France, Italy and Greece.

Qualifications

• PhD Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, Department of Health Sciences, Medical School

"The role of the current diagnostic tests in use in the safe investigation of the nature of solitary thyroid nodule ".

• Assistant professor of the Medicine School of University of Lille. Adult’s Surgery Department, Prof. Charles Proye. University Hospital of Lille , France (1990) .
• Consultant at the Surgical Departments of the Naousa and Papageorgiou General Hospitals.
• Elected Secretary General of the SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE of the Papageorgiou General Hospital.
• President of the Parents’ Association of Greek - French School KALAMARI (2007-2009 ) .

Teaching experience

• Extensive teaching activity since 2001, initially as Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in General Surgery and then as Instructor in the domain of Endocrine Surgery for Greek and foreign surgeons in the Second Surgical Department of the Papageorgiou University Hospital.
• Instructor in the pre–Olympic 2004 teaching workshop for medical and nursing staff of the Papageorgiou General Hospital on " Incident Management Mass Destruction”.
• Invited instructor in several Advanced Postgraduate Endocrine Surgery Program Courses in Greece and Europe.
• “Instructor in surgery of the endocrine glands”. Distinction from the International Fellowship Committee of the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons "WORLD DIRECTORY OF ENDOCRINE SURGERY PROGRAMS AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES" First Edition, August 1995 - Second edition August 2003.
• Assistant professor of the Medicine School of University of Lille. Surgery Department of Medicine, Prof. Charles Proye. University Hospital of Lille, France (1990).

Membership of International Scientific Societies

• INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF SURGERY (ISS)
• INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ENDOCRINE SURGERY (IAES)
• ASSOCIATION FRANCOPHONE DE CHIRURGIE ENDOCRINIENNE
• GREEK ASSOCIATION OF ENDOCRINE SURGERY
• GREEK ASSOCIATION OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
• GREEK ASSOCIATION OF OBESITY
• GREEK ASSOCIATION OF PARENTERAL NUTRIATION
• MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF THESSALONIKI.
• SURGICAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH GREECE

and many others Surgical and Ethic Societies.  

Publications Presentations & Conferences

• Author of chapters in several books and numerous scientific articles in peer reviewed English and Greek journals on subjects concerning endocrine surgical diseases, thyroid and parathyroid carcinoma, lymphatic metastasis and hyperparathyroidism.
• Presentation of more than a hundred scientific papers in endocrine surgical and clinical research in International, European and Greek Endocrine Surgery Congresses.
• Invited speaker in numerous lectures, conferences, debates, and round tables in several Greek and International Congresses and Courses of Endocrinology and Endocrine Surgery.

Current work

Since 2008 DR. Goropoulos is in charge of the Endocrine Surgery Unite in St. Luke’s General Hospital, Thessaloniki.  The Unit is staffed by endocrine surgeons, endocrinologists, ENT and thoracic surgeons and supported by the department of cytology-pathology, radiology and clinical chemistry.

Staff in the Endocrine Surgery Unit have vast experience in dealing with endocrine diseases such as:

• Multinodular goitre with or without tracheal compression and intrathoracic goitre.
• Hyperthyroidism due to a Grave’s disease, toxic multinodular goiter or just a single hyper functioning nodule.
• Solitary benign nodule.
• Thyroid carcinoma and lymphatic metastasis
• Hyperparathyroidism due to a parathyroid adenoma, hyperplasia or cancer.
• Adrenal tumors including pheochromocytomas, aldosteronoma, Cushing syndrome and adrenal carcinoma.

Surgical procedures performed routinely include:

• Total thyroidectomy or lobectomy
• Cervical modified radical lymph node dissection
• Parathyroidectomy (single, minimally invasive endoscopic or radical)
• Laparoscopic or open adrenalectomy.

St Luke’s Hospital provides the infrastructure and technology necessary for safely performing these operations. Ultrasound coagulation system, Intraoperative Neuromuscular Monitoring for vocal cords integrity and intraoperative quick parathormone assay are commonly used as indicated. Moreover the hospital provides the support of all relevant clinical specialities (including cardiology and chest medicine) and a state of the art Intensive Care Unit.

The exceptional experience of the staff of the Endocrine Surgical Unit together with the infrastructure of the Hospital and the technology available guarantee the best possible outcome for the patients who trust their care in their hands.