A proctologist or a specialist of colorectal surgery is dealing with diagnosing and treating diseases of colon, also of rectum and perineum. During a visit, a proctologist listens to the patient's complaints and examines the perineum and rectum, perform other examinations.
Around one third of patients visiting a proctologist are diagnosed with haemorrhoidal disease that has several stages.
Physicians try to cure the first and the second stage conservatively, but the third stage and beyond requires surgical intervention. Physicians recommend several minimally invasive surgical methods first.
Currently, the most popular minimally invasive method in the world is THD or transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialisation. It's possible to find all the blood vessels running blood through haemorrhoid nodes with a Doppler probe with the accuracy of one tenth of a millimetre. The same device can be combined with a needle and a suturer. Sutures are applied on the blood vessels to completely cut down the blood supply to the haemorrhoid nodes.
In the third and fourth stage, when the haemorrhoid nodes become prolapsed, this device allows to insert them back in the rectum and fixate them to its wall, where they should be located naturally. There's also a more advanced method – the so-called stapled hemorrhoidopexy or Longo procedure. All the enlarged haemorrhoid nodes, along the excess mucosa, are pulled back into the rectum, by attaching the device to the haemorrhoidal area.
''Health Centre 4'' is the first medical institution in Europe where grade 2-4 haemorrhoids are successfully treated with radio frequency device EVRF® (EndoVenous Radio Frequency). This haemorrhoid treatment procedure, RAFAELO® (Radio Frequency treatment of Haemorrhoids under Local Anaesthesia), takes 15-20 minutes under local anaesthesia in a procedure room.
The ''semi-surgical'' treatment involves application of flexible rings on internal haemorrhoidal nodes, sclerotherapy, infrared coagulation of the internal nodes and other methods, including the innovative and low-invasive cyanoacrylate method*. There exist no limitations for performing this procedure, it is very gentle and takes only a couple of minutes. This is an outpatient procedure, when the patient can go home after a few hours of observation.
The cyanoacrylate method is suitable for treatment of 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree haemorrhoids. During the procedure, a chemical preparation is injected in the increased haemorrhoidal nodes, which stops blood flow in the affected haemorrhoidal nodes and constricts the coating of haemorrhoidal capsule. Since haemorrhoids are not provided with blood, they disappear.
*Cyanoacrylate is used in medicine already for a long time, especially in vascular surgery. Since 2012, ''Veselības centrs 4'', Ltd. successfully uses this method, which has a number of advantages, in treatment of varicose leg veins.
Red flags for visiting a proctologist:
Bloody and mucous discharge from the rectum during defecation;
Changes in the number of bowel movements (too often or too rare);
New formations in the perineal area;
Faecal smearing, faecal incontinence;
Pain, discomfort, itchiness and moisture in the rectal area.
One should consider a preventive visit of a proctologist after the age of 45, especially for people with a family history of oncological (malignant) colorectal pathologies!
