Our colon and rectal surgeons and specialists specialize in treating a variety of issues. From basic procedures like hemorrhoid removal, designed to improve your quality of life, to more advanced life-saving tasks like preventive colonoscopies, our center excels in colorectal medicine.
Hemorrhoids are vascular cushions that line the internal and external anal canal. A person may develop internal or external hemorrhoid disease. Internal hemorrhoid disease can present with painless bleeding or prolapse, or protrusion, of the internal hemorrhoids through the anal canal. External hemorrhoid disease can present with pain and swelling around the anal canal.
The causes of hemorrhoids can range from straining while passing stool caused by constipation, or by long-term diarrhea, which can put pressure on vascular cushions that can cause hemorrhoidal disease. Also, pregnancy and being overweight can cause additional strain on the pelvic region cause hemorrhoidal disease.
The most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are:
- Bright red bleeding during bowel movement
- Itching, and
- Rectal pain
A typical treatment of hemorrhoids is hemorrhoidectomy. Hemorrhoidectomy is an effective outpatient procedure during which your physician will remove internal or external hemorrhoids through small incisions around the rectum or anus – depending on where the hemorrhoids are located.
There are two kinds of hemorrhoidectomy:
- Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH): During this procedure, your physician will reposition the hemorrhoids and cut off their blood supply with a special tool, causing them to dry up and fall away. The hemorrhoids are repositioned to a place in the rectum with fewer nerve ending allowing for less pain and a faster recovery than other hemorrhoidectomy procedures.
- Hemorrhoid Artery Ligation and Recto Anal Repair: This procedure involves your physician using a small Doppler sensor inserted into the anus to detect the arteries that are supplying blood flow to the hemorrhoids. Your surgeon can tie them off to stop blood flow and cause the hemorrhoid to dry up and fall off.
Hemorrhoid surgery is conventional and considered safe. However, there are few risks which patients should be aware of, including bleeding, infection, and adverse reaction to anesthesia.
A fissure is an abnormal opening in the muscle or tissue between two parts of the body. Fistulas occur between the intestine and another organ or part of the body – some examples include fistulas between the intestine or colon and vagina and the rectum, or the anus or anal canal and surrounding tissue. Additionally, fistulas can occur between the bladder and uterus, bladder and vagina, and urethra and vagina. Left untreated, fistulas can cause permanent damage to the surrounding tissue and may become infected.
Symptoms of fistulas include:
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea or stomach pains
- Urine or bowel leakage from the vagina
- Infection or irritation of the urethra or vagina, such as recurring or frequent urinary tract infections
Fistulotomy is an outpatient surgical procedure during which your physician opens the area around the fistula. When the area is opened it allows the fistula to drain and then heal on its own. Your physician may add gauze or packing to the fistula to absorb any fluid or remaining infection, or to limit the likelihood of a recurring infection returning after the fistulotomy. Depending on the location of the fistula, you may pass or remove the packing yourself or you may have to return to your physician’s office to have the packing removed.
You will be able to go home the same day as your procedure. Most people have very little pain or discomfort after surgery and are able to return to a normal lifestyle within one to two weeks.