Colorectal Surgery: Overview, Features and Procedures
Definition and
Overview
Colorectal surgery is
a term that refers to various surgical procedures performed on the colon, anus,
and rectum. Medical professionals performing such procedures are known as
proctologists or colorectal surgeons.
When is Colorectal
surgery required?
The Colorectal
surgeons treat various disorders such as anal fissures (abnormal tears or
cracks in the patient’s anus), birth defects in the anus or colon, swelling and
inflammation of veins in the rectum (also known as hemorrhoids), anorectal
fistulas (passageways that connect different parts of the anorectal area to the surface of the skin), fecal incontinence, colon, and rectal cancers, anal or
rectal prolapse, diverticular disease, diverticulitis, imperforate anus and
other birth defects, Crohn’s disease, and other severe colic disorders, and anal
cancer.
Where are Colorectal
procedures applied?
There are various
techniques used in performing Colorectal surgery. These are:-
Colectomy- It is the
surgical resectioning of the colon or the large intestine. This procedure can
also involve the removal of the entire large intestine and the rectum.
Strictureplasty- It is
another colorectal surgical procedure, which removes scar tissues that have
grown on the patient’s intestinal walls, usually as a result of bowel
inflammation (in severe colic disorders such as Crohn’s disease).
Other surgical
procedures include lateral internal sphincterotomy, transanal endoscopic
microsurgery (TEM), bowel diversion surgery, rubber band ligation,
abdominoperineal resection, haemorrhoidectomy, angioplasty, polypectomy and
colostomy.
Modern surgical
techniques for colorectal issues include laparoscopic surgery, which is
minimally invasive and requires less downtime for the patient. Robotic surgery
is also fast becoming an ideal option for many patients; it is more precise and
can access previously difficult to reach areas such as in the case of rectal
cancers.
Colorectal surgery can
also involve various diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy,
defecating proctography, and proctoscopy.
Comments
Post a Comment