MBBS (S’pore), MRCS (Edin), MMed (S’pore)(Ortho), FRCS (Edin)(Ortho)
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Special interests in hip, knee & shoulder problems, sports injuries, arthritis, bone & soft tissue tumours
Dr Leon Foo graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1999. He continued to further his medical education and obtained three post-graduate degrees, namely Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2004, Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2004 and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2008.
In 2008 Dr Foo was awarded the prestigious Singapore Government Ministry of Health Training Scholarship to pursue his fellowship training in the dual sub-specialities of Orthopaedic Oncology & Revision Arthroplasty at Muenster University Hospital in Germany. This was followed by a further clinical attachment at the world renowned Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) in the United States of America.
Upon his return to Singapore in 2010, Dr Foo was made a Consultant with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Singapore General Hospital. His clinical and surgical expertise was much sought after and he was concurrently appointed as Visiting Consultant to the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Kandang Kerbau Women & Children’s Hospital, as well as Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Apart from clinical work, Dr Foo is a well-respected teacher, mentor and examiner. He was appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, as well as Clinical Tutor with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. He is also an Advanced Trauma Life Support Instructor and is actively involved as Physician Faculty for both the Orthopaedic Surgery and Family Medicine Residency Programmes. He continues to be regularly called upon as Teaching Faculty for both local, as well as international courses and conferences.
Medical research is a cornerstone of Dr Foo’s work. He is an avid researcher, having published several papers in international, peer reviewed orthopaedic journals. In recognition of his clinical expertise and research contribution, he has been invited and continues to be an expert Reviewer for several PubMed indexed international medical journals including the Journal of Arthroplasty, Singapore Medical Journal, and Annals of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore.
Dr Foo is one of a handful of fellowship-trained Orthopaedic Oncologists in Singapore. Orthopaedic Oncology refers to the sub-speciality of treating both bone and soft tissue tumours. Bone and soft tissue tumours are divided broadly into benign, locally aggressive and malignant. The malignant bone and soft tissue tumours are also often referred to as sarcomas or carcinomas/cancers. As the lead surgical member in the multi-disciplinary oncology team looking after tumour patients, Dr Foo’s contribution lies with his expertise and experience in tumour tissue removal, as well as the subsequent reconstructive surgery. This includes limb preserving surgery for both bone and soft tissue tumours and reconstruction using autografts, allografts and/or mega-prosthesis implants. His guiding philosophy with bone and soft tissue tumour treatment is not only of curative tumour removal but also of appropriate functional reconstructive procedures that allow patients to return to as full and as active a function as possible post-operatively.
Orthopaedic Oncology aside, Dr Foo is also fellowship-trained in Revision Arthroplasty. His clinical expertise is often called upon in the treatment of hip, knee and shoulder problems arising from a variety of causes, be it degenerative (age-related), inflammatory, trauma or sports-related injuries. His surgical repertoire includes the latest technologies in cartilage resurfacing and regeneration, as well as joint reconstruction and replacement, including minimally invasive, key-hole/arthroscopic, computer navigation, customized/patient-specific instrumentation and robotic surgery.
Apart from consistently producing excellent surgical and functional outcomes, Dr Foo is also well loved by his patients for his compassionate and empathic nature. He is a three-time recipient of the “Service with a Heart Award” during his practice at the Singapore General Hospital, testament to the passion that he places in his patients and work. Holistic patient-centric care remains the most important tenet of his clinical practice.
Publications :
1. Chung W K, David Liu, Foo S S Leon. Minimally invasive total hip replacement – surgical techniques and early results. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery (Hong Kong). 2004 June; 12(1): 19-24.
2. Foo S S Leon, Chin PL, Yang KY, Yeo SJ, Lo NN. Mini mid-vastus approach shows similar radiographic results to standard TKA. Orthopaedics Today. 2006 June; 26(6): 10.
3. Chin PL, Foo SS Leon, Yang KY, Yeo SJ, Lo NN. Randomized controlled trial comparing the radiological outcomes of conventional and minimally invasive techniques for total knee arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2007 Sept;22(6):800-6.
4. Foo SS Leon, Yeo W, Fook S, Guo CM, Chen J, Yue WM, Tan SB. Results, experience and technical points learnt with use of the SKy Bone Expander kyphoplasty system for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Eur Spine J. 2007 Nov;16(11):1944-1950.
5. Foo S S Leon, J Hardes, M Henrichs, H Ahrens, G Gosheger, A Streitburger. Surgical difficulties encountered with use of modular endoprosthesis for limb preserving salvage of failed allograft reconstruction after malignant tumor resection. J Arthroplasty. 2011 Aug;26(5):744-50.
6. Farid M, Ong WS, Tan MH, Foo S S Leon, Lim YK, Chia WK, Sog LT, Poon D, Lee MJ, Ho ZC, Jeevan R, Chin F, Teo M, Quek R. The influence of primary site on outcomes of leiomyosarcoma: a review of clinicopathological differences between uterine and extrauterine disease. Am J Clin Oncol. 2012 July 3 [Epub ahead of print].
7. Tan TJ, Wong SK, Foo S S Leon. A parasymphyseal pubic cartilaginous cyst masquerading as a chondrosarcoma. Clin Radiol. 2012 May;67(5): 508-10.
8. Ang JL, Foo S S Leon, Sun S, Kesavan S. Positive ProbeTecTM tests in fresh specimens from malignant musculoskeletal tumours: a case series. Orthop Surg. 2013 Feb;5(1):29-32.
Practice Address
Island Orthopaedic Consultants (Gleneagles Medical Centre)
6 Napier Road, #02-16 & #08-08, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore 258499
Tel: +65 6474 5488
Island Orthopaedic Consultants (Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre)
3 Mount Elizabeth, #05-08, Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore 228510
Tel: +65 6737 5683
Island Orthopaedic Consultants (Mount Alvernia Medical Centre)
820 Thomson Road, Mount Alvernia Medical Centre A, #01-04, Mount Alvernia Hospital, Singapore 574623
Tel: +65 6356 0588
Island Orthopaedic Consultants (Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre)
38 Irrawaddy Road, #05-42 Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore 329563
Tel: +65 6352 0529