An innovative treatment option for haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids are ringshaped vascular cushions located under the rectal mucosa and serve as a seal to the anus. Enlarged haemorrhoids that cause discomfort are called symptomatic haemorrhoids, the disease itself is called haemorrhoidal disorder. Typical symptoms include recurrent anal bleeding, itching and pain during bowel movements.

Depending on the severity, a variety of treatment options is available. Methods range from simple lifestyle modifications to sclerotherapy and rubber band ligation to ultrasound-guided haemorrhoidal artery ligation (HAL) and other, classical, surgical procedures such as the haemorrhoidectomy.

A new and innovative procedure is the haemorrhoidal embolization. Here the end branches of the arteries supplying the haemorrhoids are closed (embolized). The thereby diminshed blood flow and reduction in blood pressure leads to the desired alleviation of symptoms, i.e. the regression of the haemorrhoids preventing further bleeding.

The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia via an access in the groin. Using modern imaging techniques, we insert a tiny catheter with a diameter of less than one millimetre into the arteries of the rectum. After ensuring that the catheter is in the correct position, we shut down the blood-supplying vessels with extremely fine metal threads (so-called coils). The procedure takes about one hour. A local anaesthetic is soley applied at the access site in the groin. The risks of general anaesthetia is therefore eliminated. The patient is conscious the whole time but as the intervention is literally painless there is no need to be afraid of discomfort.
Apart from the above mentioned benefits one of the main advantages of this method is the preservation of the mucous membrane of the anus and of the rectal sphincter. Complications such as fistulas, abscesses, fissures, bleeding, urinary retention, pain, stenosis, disturbance of fine continence and incontinence are not to be expected.
We offer haemorrhoid embolization in interdisciplinary cooperation with the specialists from the Department of General Surgery as a supplement to the procedures already established there for many years.