Dr Sam Flatman

BSc, MBBS, FRACS

Dr Sam Flatman is an experienced Ear, Nose & Throat, Head & Neck surgeon who cares for both children and adults at the ENT Specialists Group. He is also a consultant surgeon at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and St Vincent’s Public Hospital.

After completing his medical training at the University of Melbourne in 2006, he specialised in Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery in Melbourne before becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

He returned from working in North America at the world renowned Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital and Toronto General Hospital, where he completed further sub-specialisation in advanced Head & Neck surgical oncology, thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

Sam has formal training and accreditation in Head & Neck ultrasound, issued by the American College of Surgeons and the American Head and Neck Society. He is one of only a few surgeons in Australia who performs their own ultrasounds and ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsies as part of the work up of thyroid nodules, benign neck lumps and cancers of the head and neck.

Sam trained in Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) in Florida, USA, which is used in cases such as oropharyngeal cancer (cancers of the tonsil and base of tongue) and sleep apnoea procedures, and offers this for appropriate cases. He also performs minimally invasive surgery such as Trans-Oral Laser surgery, Laryngeal Microsurgery and Coblation.

A major part of Dr Flatman’s practice involves the multidisciplinary management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. He is committed to maintaining the highest standards of evidence-based care and personalised treatment. He emphasizes multidisciplinary involvement and shared decision-making, and encourages medical treatment options for all cases in addition to surgery when indicated.

Sam also has a busy practice caring for children, including those with recurrent ear infections, glue ear (middle ear fluid), hearing loss, speech or voice issues, tonsillitis, snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. He is highly experienced with children requiring tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and grommets and provides a personable, caring service to his paediatric patients and their parents. He is highly trained in general ENT problems, treating blocked nose and sinus issues and voice disorders.

Dr Flatman’s sub-specialty expertise includes thyroid nodules, goiters, thyroid cancer, head and neck cancer, parathyroid adenomas, advanced skin cancer, salivary gland tumours and benign tumours of the head and neck. He has published and presented both nationally and internationally on these topics.

Sam currently consults in Hawthorn and Heidelberg and is accredited at a number of private hospitals. He visits regional areas including Bendigo and Gippsland.