Dr. Shanavas Kakkat is a Senior Consultant in HPB, Liver Transplant, and Gastrointestinal Laparoscopic Surgery at Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode. With MBBS, MS, DNB, and MCh in Surgical Gastroenterology, along with fellowships including FACS (USA), FMAS, and FIAGES, he has performed over 3,000 complex surgeries with a focus on minimally invasive GI, HPB, and liver transplant procedures. He has published multiple research papers, presented in national and international conferences, and is an active member of leading surgical associations. Education C Surgical Training. He completed his MBBS and MS in General Surgery from Government Medical College, Kozhikode, followed by a DNB in Surgery and He was subsequently selected to MCh in Gastrointestinal Surgery at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, which is a prestigious single-seat superspeciality course in Kerala, where he underwent extensive training in the surgical management of liver, pancreas, biliary, stomach, oesophagus, and colorectal diseases, both malignant and benign.

Qualifications

• MBBS
• MS - General Surgery
• MCh - Surgical Gastroenterology
• DNB - General Surgery

Fellowships s Advanced Training

• FACS – Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons
• FIAGES – Fellowship of the Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons
• FMAS – Fellowship in Minimal Access Surgery (AMASI)
• Advanced Laparoscopic Hernia Repair, National University Hospital, Singapore
• Minimally Invasive Proctology, CEMAST, Mumbai (2019)
• Bariatric C Metabolic Surgery, Asian Institute of Bariatrics, Ahmedabad (2022)

Areas of Expertise

• Pancreatic Surgery
  Dr. Shanavas is a recognized expert in pancreatic surgery, having performed over 300 complex pancreatic procedures. His early work in pancreatic oncology was presented at the Johns Hopkins International Gastrointestinal Oncology Conference (2013) and published in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Journal (2014). He also conducted original research on a diagnostic tool for early pancreatic cancer, published in the Indian Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancers (2016).
• Hepatobiliary (HPB) Surgery
  He has substantial experience in surgeries involving the liver, biliary tree, and gallbladder, including cancer and benign disease management.
• Gastrointestinal Oncosurgery
  He performs advanced laparoscopic and minimally invasive cancer surgeries of the stomach, esophagus, colon, and rectum with a focus on oncological safety and organ preservation.
• Colorectal Surgery
  He has completed over 300 laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgeries, with a strong emphasis on sphincter-preserving techniques and minimally invasive approaches.
  Proctology.
• Hernia Surgery
  An expert in abdominal wall hernia repairs, Dr. Shanavas is proficient in multiple techniques including TEP, TAPP, ETEP, IPOM, and TAR. He trained at the National University Hospital, Singapore, focusing on laparoscopic hernia repair.
• Bariatric Metabolic Surgery
  He has undergone advanced training in bariatric (metabolic) surgery from the Asian Institute of Bariatrics, Ahmedabad, and integrates this skill set in treating obesity and related metabolic disorders.
• Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
  Dr. Shanavas has extensive experience in difficult gallbladder surgeries, including patients with cirrhosis and complex biliary anatomy. His expertise in this area was internationally recognized through a video presentation at the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, showcasing advanced techniques in difficult cholecystectomy cases.

Publications

• Single-centre single-operator experience in Pancreaticoduodenectomy in a third world country:A retrospective analysis- Journal of Gastrointestinal cancerresearch ,2014 sept;15(3):109-112
• Comparison of platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and CA-19-9 in differentiating benignfrom malignant head masses in patients with chronic pancreatitis- Indian journal of Gastroenterology (Springer) -2017 Jul;36(4):263-267.
• Low tie IMA with selective D3-lymphadenectomy in laparoscopic rectal resection for carcinoma rectum: comparison of surgical and oncological outcomes with the open technique Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology 2017 oct;8(5):85-857
• Neurofibramatosis type1 with three synchronous tumours-Journal of Rare Diseases (2024
• A Seldom Encountered Intestinal Obstruction: Asian Journal of Case Reports and Health - Volume 8,Issue1,Page 33-38,2025,Article no.AJCMRH.131592
• Ganglioneuromatous polyposis and ill adenocarcinoma: A case report, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University journal 2024:17(4):e75378

Presentations

• Outcomes of Management of Pancreaticoduodenectomy comparing international standards International Gastro Oncology conference – Arlington , Washington –DC-2013
• Video presentation in International hepatopancreaticobiliary Association conference at Cape Town.
• Outcomes of management of infective pancreatic necrosis-IHPBA – Bangalore-2017
• Does multiple hospital admissions increases the morbidity in infective pancreatic necrosis?-ASGK-Kerala.-2017 Presented a CPC –on ‘An unusual tumour causing BiliaryObstruction’ in Gastrointestinal pathology conference-Trivandrum-2017
• Diagnostic accuracyof Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio(PLR) IN Pancreatic adenocarcinoma-IASG-Coimbatore-2016
• Do biliary-cystic neoplasms have predilection to segment –IV Liver? (IASG-Pune-2015
• Outcomes of Management of Pancreaticoduodenectomy –(IASG-2013 Kolkata)
• Difficult Cholecystectomy made it safe:A difficult cholecystectomy in CLD - 50th anniversary CME at Trivandrum Gastrosurgery department

Research Experience

• Thesis (MS-Surgery)-Factors affecting causes of intestinal obstruction in tertiary care hospitals (2008-2011)
• Diagnostic accuracy of PLR in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its role in differentiating Chronic pancreatitis with malignant head mass from its benign counterpart (2014-2016)