Professional background

Mr Alistair Hunter is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, specialising in hand, wrist and elbow surgery. He studied at Cambridge University and University College London. He trained in trauma and orthopaedics in Manchester and London and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2013.

He has completed fellowships in hand, wrist and upper limb surgery at the Hand Unit, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the Upper Limb Unit, Wrightington Hospital. He has also undertaken a traveling fellowship to the Institut Kaplan, Barcelona (Ethicon Foundation Award). He has developed advanced skills in the management of complex hand and upper limb injuries and common and complex conditions of the hand, wrist and elbow. More recently, he travelled on the European Wrist Arthroscopy Society Tour to Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and Reims to further enhance his skills in minimally invasive techniques in hand and wrist surgery.

Mr Hunter was awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Hand Surgery by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand in 2015. He was awarded 'Surgeon of the Year' at University College Hospital in 2016, nominated by fellow staff members. He publishes scientific papers on hand and upper limb surgery, has contributed to several books and presents at conferences nationally and internationally. He is an invited reviewer for the Bone and Joint Journal and a number of other international scientific journals. Mr Hunter is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) and the European Wrist Arthroscopy Society (EWAS).

He has a strong interest in teaching and is the Royal College surgical tutor for UCLH, with responsibility for trainee surgeons across the hospital. He teaches medical students at UCL, is invited Faculty on national courses and holds a masters degree in medical education. He is course director of the preparation for FRCS (Tr&Orth) course and the practical preparation for orthopaedic ST3 interviews course.

Research interests

Alistair Hunter’s main clinical and research interests centre on elective and emergency hand and wrist surgery. This includes post traumatic hand and wrist reconstruction, sports related injuries, Dupuytren’s disease, nerve related pathology, joint replacement of the hand and wrist, carpal instability and expanding techniques such as wide-awake surgery and wrist arthroscopy.

Publications

  • 2020 Hunter AR, Temperley D, Trail IA. Capitate shortening osteotomy and vascularised bone grafting for Kienbock’s disease in ulnar neutral or positive wrists. Journal of Hand Surgery (Eur) In Press
  • 2020 Vaghela KR, Velazquez-Pimentel D, Ahluwalia AK, Choraria A, Hunter A. Distal radius fractures: an evidence-based approach to assessment and management. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2020;81(6):1-8.
  • 2020 Haider Z, Hunter A. Orthopaedic Trainees' Perceptions of the Educational Value of Daily Trauma Meetings. J Surg Educ. 2020;77(4):991-998.
  • 2019 Elvey MH, Miller R, Khor KS, Protopapa E, Horwitz MD, Hunter AR. The use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in hand and wrist nonunions. J Plast Surg Hand Surg. 2020;54(2):101-106.
  • 2019 Sharma V, Witney-Lagen C, Cullen S, Kim E, Haider Z, Davy A, Hunter A. The Role of Early Post-Operative Radiographs Following Distal Radius Fracture Fixation with a Volar Locking Plate: Time for Change?. J Hand Surg Asian Pac Vol. 2019;24(4):435-439.
  • 2019 Hexter A, Hunter A. Response to: Factors that influence medical student learning in the operating room: Medical students' perspective. Med Teach. 2019;41(5):607–608.
  • 2019 Hexter AT, O'Dowd-Booth C, Hunter A. Factors that influence medical student learning in the operating room. Med Teach. 2019;41(5):555–560
  • 2019 Witney-Lagen C, Hunter AR. Diagnosis and management of shoulder dislocations. British Journal of Hospital Medicine 2019; 80(3)
  • 2018 Sharma V, Haider Z, Hunter A. The modified Brunelli procedure: a simple passage for the flexor carpi radialis tendon graft. The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2018; 100(8):682-682.
  • 2017 Prakash R, Ong E, Brown D, Hunter AR. Patient-initiated splintage of a mallet finger injury avoids unnecessary complications. British journal of hospital medicine 2017; 78(5): 296
  • 2015 Pywell MJ, Hunter AR, Thomas AP, Owers K. An Interprofessional Induction to Hand Surgery. Clin Teach 2015; 12(5): 320-324
  • 2015 Hunter AR, Davy AR, Taylor EJ Accuracy of clinical assessment in intra-articular positioning for injections of the hand and wrist. J Hand Surg (Eur) 2015; 40(9): 1003-1005
  • 2015 Hunter AR, Baird EJ, Reed M. Procedure based assessments in trauma and orthopaedic training - the trainees’ perspective. Medical Teacher 2015;37:444-449
  • 2014 Hunter AR, Horwitz MD, Halsey TJ. Hand trauma always requires ring removal. Br J Hosp Med 2014; 75(12): 715
  • 2014 Lopez R, Hunter AR, Geoghegan O, Demertzi E. Candida parapsilosis osteomyelitis. BMJ Case Rep Published online: 20th October 2014
  • 2014 Hunter AR, Taylor EJ. Use of the locking guide in facilitating the removal of locking plates. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2014; 96(7):550-550(1)
  • 2013 Tsang C, Hunter AR, Sorene E. Bilateral thumb metacarpophalangeal joint fusions for severe hyperextension deformities in conjunction with carpometacarpal joint reconstructions. Hand Surgery 2013;18:257-260
  • 2013 Hunter AR, Tansey R, Muir LT. A radiological sign chronic collateral ligament injuries of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb. Hand 2013; 8:191–194
  • 2011 Bagley C, Hunter AR, Bacarese-Hamilton I. Patients’ misunderstanding of common Orthopaedic terminology: the need for clarity. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2011;93(5):401-404
  • 2009 Tsapakis EM, Tsiridis E, Hunter A et al Modelling the effect of minor postoperative day surgery on patient mood at the early post-operative period: a prospective population based cohort study Eur Psychiatry 2009; 24(2):112-8
  • 2004 Hunter AR ‘A Model for Steroid Response Variability in Asthma?’ Airways J 2004; 2(2): 99-100