A SURGEON devised a pioneering surgical procedure which uses pig parts to rebuild people’s abdomens.

Whipps Cross University Hospital’s Pasquale Giordino fine-tuned the technique after being approached by a desperate patient.

The woman suffered an abdominal hernia, which is usually treated using a synthetic mesh but carries a high risk of infection.

The patient had suffered repeated problems and pleaded with Dr Giordano to help.

He then developed the technique which uses a biological mesh made from pig parts to reconstruct her weakened abdominal wall.

Dr Giordano then wrote about the procedure in a medical jounal and he has since been invited to teach the technique to surgeons across the world.

He said. “I know this has made a real difference to the lives of people who have to live with major abdominal problems.”