Gastroenterologists for Gastroscopy in Athens

Dr. Papafragkakis Xarilaos is a Gastroenterologist - Hepatologist - Interventional Endoscopist and maintains a private practice in Kolonaki. He has been fully trained in the USA. He holds a medical degree from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and specialized in Gastroenterology at the Brooklyn Hospital Center of Mount Sinai - Icahn School of Medicine in New York. He specialized in Interventional Endoscopy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center Hospital of the University of Texas and in Hepatology at the University of Miami - Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Additionally, he holds a specialty in Internal Medicine from the University of Illinois in Chicago and possesses certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Papafragkakis is the author of numerous publications in scientific journals and has extensive academic teaching experience. He is a scientific collaborator and performs endoscopies at the Euroclinic Athens Hospital in Ampelokipoi.

Karatzas Pantelis is a Gastroenterologist who maintains a private practice in the Ampelokipoi area. He completed his doctoral dissertation at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a Medical degree from the same university. He received advanced training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and specialized in Gastroenterology at "Evangelismos" Hospital and in General Pathology at the General Hospital of Chalkida. He is a university fellow at the University Gastroenterology Clinic of the General Hospital of Athens "Laiko" and has served as a scientific collaborator at the University Hepatogastroenterology-Endoscopy Unit of the University General Hospital “Attikon.” Furthermore, he is a member of numerous scientific societies, has attended numerous Greek and international conferences, participated in many specialized seminars, and has publications and written presentations both in Greece and abroad.

Kasapidis Panagiotis MD, PhD, AGAF, FEBGH is a Gastroenterologist - Hepatologist, Director of the Gastroenterology Clinic and the Endoscopy Department at the "White Cross" Clinic. He graduated from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a doctoral degree. He is also a Fellow of the European Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (FEBGH) and a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGAF). He initially specialized in Internal Medicine at the Naval Hospital of Athens and subsequently in Gastroenterology at the Gastroenterology Department of the General State Hospital of Athens. He received further training as a Clinical Researcher, supported by a fellowship from the Hellenic Gastroenterological Society, at the Gastroenterology Department of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital, University of London, United Kingdom. He then served for five years as Consultant and Clinical Researcher at the Gastroenterology Department of the General State Hospital of Athens. For 20 years, he served as Director of the Gastroenterology Clinic and the Endoscopy Department of the Central Clinic of Athens. Since 1991, he has actively participated in seminars, symposia, round tables, live endoscopic demonstrations, postgraduate seminars, and has been invited as a speaker and chairperson at national and international conferences. Lastly, he is the author of numerous foreign (English-language) publications in prestigious international gastroenterology journals. He is also a trainer of his colleagues in interventional endoscopic gastroenterological procedures. He served as president of the Professional Association of Gastroenterologists of Greece (EPEGE) for nine years.

Mparmpounakis Panagiotis is a Gastroenterologist - Hepatologist with private practices in Neo Psychiko and Salamina. Additionally, he sees patients at the outpatient clinics of Iatriko Psychiko and Iatriko Palaio Faliro (Athens Medical Group). His extensive studies in Greece and abroad, combined with his personal dedication to the patient's problem, ensure excellent provision of medical care and management of health issues. The physician's long-term involvement and experience in gastroenterology, digestive oncology, idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), continuous scientific updating, and his distinguished team of collaborators enable proper management of a wide range of gastroenterological conditions. He performs advanced endoscopic, diagnostic, interventional, and therapeutic techniques such as Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) application in Barrett's esophagus, a method that essentially revolutionizes its treatment, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), magnifying endoscopy, high-definition chromoendoscopy for the prevention and early diagnosis of early cancer and precancerous conditions in the digestive system, and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI). More specifically, he performs endoscopic application of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) in Barrett's esophagus, cauterization - endoscopic hemostasis of upper and lower gastrointestinal lesions with Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC), small bowel examination with wireless PILL CAM capsule, gastroscopy - CLO Test for Helicobacter pylori detection, liver and biliary diseases, anemia investigation, celiac disease screening, treatment of malabsorption syndrome, diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases.

Sazanidis Vasileios is a Gastroenterologist and maintains a private practice in Dafni. He graduated from the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and received a scholarship from the Hellenic Foundation of Gastroenterology and Nutrition for advanced training in the United Kingdom, specializing in interventional endoscopy at the Victoria Hospital of Blackpool. During his training, he performed a large number of colonoscopies, gastroscopies, sigmoidoscopies, ERCPs, as well as endoscopic gastrostomies, esophageal stent placements, esophageal variceal ligations, endoscopic hemostasis, esophageal dilations, and numerous polypectomies and mucosectomies. He specialized in Internal Medicine at the 424 General Military Training Hospital of Thessaloniki and in Gastroenterology at the 1st Propaedeutic University Clinic of the General Hospital of Athens "Laiko." He has worked at the private clinic "Central Clinic of Athens" and as an external Scientific Collaborator at the Hepatology Clinic of the University Gastroenterology Clinic of the General Hospital of Athens "Laiko." Since 2019, he has been working at the Diagnostic Medical Center "Kosmoiatriki" and has been working periodically as a Gastroenterologist in various hospitals in the United Kingdom since 2014, conducting clinical work, endoscopies, and outpatient clinics (Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth - Darlington Memorial Hospital, Darlington - St Helier Hospital, London - James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth - Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol). Finally, he is an Accredited Member of the British Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (JAG).

Dimitrios Tsounis MD, MSc, FEBGH is a Gastroenterologist with private practices in Neo Psychiko and Acharnes. He graduated from the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds postgraduate diplomas in EUS and ERCP from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan. Additionally, he holds the European Diploma in Hepatology-Gastroenterology (FEBGH), which has led to his specialization in polyp removal. He has extensive professional experience and currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Gastroenterology Clinic at the 251 Air Force General Hospital, where he engages in various gastroenterological procedures. Specifically, in his practice, each patient has the opportunity to be informed about more specialized interventional endoscopic methods such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Moreover, he provides, both in his practice and in the clinics he collaborates with, a range of basic gastroenterological examinations including colonoscopy, gastroscopy, rectoscopy, urea breath test for Helicobacter pylori, and hepatology screening. Finally, in his ongoing professional development, he participates in numerous Gastroenterology conferences held both in Greece and abroad.

Η Βικτώρια Θώδου, MD,PhD, είναι Γαστρεντερολόγος – Ηπατολόγος με εξειδίκευση στην επεμβατική ενδοσκόπηση ανώτερου – κατώτερου πεπτικού και χοληφόρων αγγείων.Γεννημένη και μεγαλωμένη σε αθηναϊκό προάστιο, η γιατρός εισήχθη με Πανελλαδικές Εξετάσεις στην Ιατρική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών το 2005, από όπου αποφοίτησε μετά από εξαετή φοίτηση.Αμέσως μετά την αποφοίτησή της, το 2011, μετέβη στη Γερμανία και συγκεκριμένα στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Έσσεν (Universitätsklinikum Essen), ονομαστό πανεπιστημιακό νοσοκομείο και το μεγαλύτερο μεταμοσχευτικό κέντρο ήπατος της Γερμανίας, για την ειδίκευσή της αρχικά στη Γενική Παθολογία, τον τίτλο της οποίας απέκτησε το 2017.Το 2020, ενώ ήδη διατελούσε χρέη επιμελήτριας στην ίδια κλινική, απέκτησε και τον τίτλο της Γαστρεντερολογίας και Ηπατολογίας.Κατά την εκπαίδευσή της μαθήτευσε δίπλα στον ονομαστό καθηγητή Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Dechêne, σε διαγνωστικές αλλά και επεμβατικές πράξεις. Από το 2019 ξεκίνησε τις ενδοσκοπικές εφημερίες επείγουσας γαστρεντερολογίας παίδων και ενηλίκων, στο πλαίσιο των οποίων απέκτησε μεγάλη εμπειρία στην αντιμετώπιση επειγόντων περιστατικών σε ενήλικες (αιμορραγία ανώτερου και κατώτερου πεπτικού, στάση βλωμού, παραλυτικός ειλεός από κοπρόσταση, χολαγγειίτιδα), αλλά και σε βρέφη – παιδιά (αιμορραγία ανώτερου και κατώτερου πεπτικού, στάση βλωμού, κατάποση ξένου σώματος).Παράλληλα, συνεργάστηκε με τον διευθυντή της κλινικής, καθηγητή Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Heiner Wedemeyer, παγκόσμιας φήμης και αναγνώρισης καθηγητή ηπατολογίας, ως βασική εκπρόσωπος – συνεργάτις του στα προσωπικά του εξωτερικά ιατρεία ηπατολογίας.Στα ανεξάρτητα εξωτερικά ιατρεία του πανεπιστημίου εργάστηκε πολυετώς, ασχολούμενη κυρίως με ηπατολογικά περιστατικά, καθώς και με φλεγμονώδεις νόσους του εντέρου και με μεταμοσχευμένους ήπατος.Στο διδακτικό της έργο περιλαμβάνεται η θεωρητική και πρακτική εκπαίδευση των φοιτητών της Ιατρικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου του Έσσεν και των ειδικευομένων στη Γαστρεντερολογία.Με αυτά τα εφόδια, εξειδικεύτηκε για δύο ακόμη χρόνια στο καθολικό κρατικό νοσοκομείο του Έσσεν, Huyssenstift, κέντρο αναφοράς γενικής χειρουργικής και ογκολογίας, σε βαριές επεμβατικές ενδοσκοπικές πράξεις όπως ERCP και EUS.Στο ακαδημαϊκό της έργο, πέρα από τη διδακτορική της διατριβή στις ιογενείς ηπατίτιδες, συγκαταλέγονται αρκετές δημοσιεύσεις, κυρίως στον τομέα της ηπατολογίας (με βράβευση εργασίας σε πανγερμανικό συνέδριο), καθώς και η συμμετοχή σε πολυκεντρικές μελέτες.Αποτελεί τακτικό μέλος της Ευρωπαϊκής Εταιρείας Γαστρεντερολογικής Ενδοσκόπησης (ESGE), της Γερμανικής Εταιρείας Γαστρεντερολογίας και Μεταβολικών Νοσημάτων (DGVS), της Ελληνικής Γαστρεντερολογικής Εταιρείας (ΕΓΕ) και της Επαγγελματικής Ένωσης Γαστρεντερολόγων Ελλάδος (ΕΠΕΓΕ).Συμμετέχει όλα αυτά τα χρόνια σε διεθνή επιστημονικά συνέδρια που αφορούν τη Γαστρεντερολογία και την Ηπατολογία, και ιδιαίτερα το επεμβατικό τους μέρος.Από το καλοκαίρι του 2023, ύστερα από υπερδεκαετή παραμονή στη Γερμανία, επιστρέφει στη γενέτειρά της, δραστηριοποιούμενη στο Ιατρικό Κέντρο Αθηνών με τον τίτλο της Αναπληρώτριας Διευθύντριας της Β΄ Γαστρεντερολογικής Κλινικής, ενώ συνεργάζεται και με την Κλινική του Ψυχικού.Προς διατήρηση των ακαδημαϊκών της δραστηριοτήτων,συνεργάζεται επίσης με την πανεπιστημιακή κλινική του Λαϊκού Νοσοκομείου ως εξωτερική συνεργάτης.