Professor Stephen Black

Professor of venous surgery

Professor of Venous Surgery at Kings College, London and Medical Director UK Vein Clinic

Professor Black completed his medical training at University of the Witwatersrand, and has gone onto complete his Vascular Surgical training in the UK. He also has an MD Degree from Imperial College, London. He spent 4 years as a Consultant Vascular Surgeon at St George's Hospital before moving to Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in 2014. He is currently the Clinical Lead for Vascular Surgery, the R&D Lead for Cardiovascular and a Professor of Venous Surgery at Kings College, London.

Professor Black's experience

Professor Black has extensive experience in the treatment of Venous Disorders having built one of the largest centres in Europe for the treatment of complex Venous Disease at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital (GSTT). He has an international reputation in this field. He leads many meetings and courses and is actively involved in research including first in man procedures.

Areas of expertise

• Treatment of varicose veins
• Treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Post thrombotic syndrome
• May-Thurner Syndrome (MTS)

Prof Black feels that compared to other important medical areas, 'venous disease' has been neglected for too long, and is often treated as an after-thought by arterial surgeons. However, he says, "This area of medicine is my passion".

He goes onto say, “Valve failure can be seen as a chain reaction. A failing valve higher up the leg, creates greater pressure on the valve below. This causes further vein distention and in turn, further valve failure lower down. Early and appropriate levels of care are therefore critical.”