Infrared coagulation or IRC is helpful in treating early hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids or piles are often found among pregnant women, those who have long sitting or standing jobs, or the ones having poor fiber diet or poor bowel habits. It is found in almost 50% of the people over the age of fifty. Infrared photocoagulation [IRC] is a fast, painless procedure and found to fit the pocket expenses. In this process, the tissue is coagulated not by means of an electric current, but through an infrared radiation. During treatment, mechanical pressure and radiation energy are applied simultaneously in a manner that eliminate the disadvantages of electro coagulation like grounding the patient, charring of the tissues, which causes extensive and unpredictable lateral damage leading to subsequent fibrosis. There is an obvious risk of electric current passing through the body with the use of electrocoagulation, which may cause painful muscular spasms. IRC, on the other hand, being free from these hazards, has proved to be an effective and safe method of treatment for early grade bleeding internal hemorrhoids. We are using the infrared coagulator having a light guide of 220mm with a tip diameter of 6mm being used for the process of coagulation.
What are the types of hemorrhoids?
External hemorrhoids, occurs outside of the anal verge. External hemorrhoids are often fairly painful.
Internal hemorrhoids, occurs inside the rectum. Untreated internal hemorrhoids can lead to two severe forms of hemorrhoids: prolapsed and strangulated hemorrhoids.
Need for IRC
Hemorrhoids can produce several uncomfortable, but non-serious problems.
Thrombosis and pain
A blood clot in the hemorrhoid may cause severe pain and hence there’s a call for an instant medical aid.
Bleeding
Hemorrhoids can ooze fresh red blood, whether located externally or internally. External hemorrhoids often cause dripping of blood from the anus while sitting on the toilet. The blood might also be seen as soiling of the under garments. Internal hemorrhoids that bleed may produce fresh blood in the stool.
Itching and irritation
External hemorrhoids can be itchy, especially if the area is moist and irritated causing reddish nearby the area.
Hemorrhoids do not develop into cancer. However, both hemorrhoids and cancer can cause rectal bleeding. In fact, many disorders can be the cause of rectal bleeding. When rectal bleeding occurs in persons over age 30, and especially in those over age 50, it should be considered a serious problem until an exact diagnosis is made. The physician who directly examines the rectal area can often make the specific diagnosis.
Many pregnant women get hemorrhoids. This is more common if the woman is constipated. So, pregnant women need to take much care thereby avoiding dampness near the prone able areas.
It is safe to go for IRC
IRC is an effective, safe, and less painful alternative as compared to other treatments of early degree of bleeding hemorrhoids.
Other treatment procedures in use are-
- Employing rubber band ligation
- By chemical destruction of pile mass with sclerotherapy or direct current probe (Ultroid)
- Procedures involving thermal destruction of hemorrhoids like bipolar diathermy (Bicap) or cryoablation.
What are the surgical treatments available for Hemorrhoids?
There are five types of hemorrhoid operations.
Three of these are used for external hemorrhoids: hemorrhoidectomy, laser coagulation or infrared photocoagulation. Those three and an additional two types of hemorrhoid operation (injection sclerotherapy and rubber band ligation) are used for internal hemorrhoids.
A hemorrhoidectomy is simply the surgical removal of a hemorrhoid. Laser coagulation involves electric current which is applied to the hemorrhoid via an electrode probe – the protrusion then undergoes a chemical reaction that stops blood flow to the hemorrhoid and allows the swollen tissue to shrink.
In infrared photocoagulation hemorrhoid operation, an infrared light is used to coagulate the dilated vein, which also promotes tissue shrinkage.
Injection sclerotherapy is the injection of chemicals into the mucous membrane around the hemorrhoid, again causing closure of the vein and shrinking.
Rubber band ligation hemorrhoid operation involves wrapping a small rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoids, which cuts off the blood flow and causes the hemorrhoid to dry up and fall off.
Self-care is obviously a more desirable alternative to operation, but when it cannot be avoided, these methods have been proven to be effective in the treatment of hemorrhoids.
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