Caring For Colon-Rectal Conditions

If you have diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease or other colon-rectal conditions, our specialists can help

Some common symptoms of colon, rectal or anal conditions are abdominal pain or bloating, diarrhea or constipation, blood in the stool, rectal bleeding, and anal pain, itching, burning or rash. Our colon-rectal surgeons are experts at diagnosing and treating a wide range of colon-rectal conditions. These include:

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

These are lifelong disorders that cause swelling or ulcers in the small and large intestines. Often IBD is classified as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease:

• Ulcerative colitis causes ulcers and swelling of the lining of the colon and rectum in the lower part of the digestive tract. The most common symptoms include abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite and rectal bleeding. Treatment may include a special diet, intravenous (IV) feedings, medications or, sometimes, surgery.
• Crohn's disease causes irritation and swelling that extends into the deeper layers of the intestinal wall. It also may affect other parts of the digestive tract, including the mouth, throat, stomach, and small intestine.

Diverticulitis

This is an infection or inflammation of small, bulging pouches that develop in the wall of the large intestine (colon). These can cause pain, fever and nausea. Diverticulitis ranges from mild pain to life-threatening infections. Usually it can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but sometimes surgery is necessary to remove part of the colon.

Hemorrhoids

These are swollen and inflamed veins in your anus and rectum. They are very common and may result from straining when having a bowel movement or the increased pressure on these veins during pregnancy. In most cases, you can effectively care for the resulting itching, bleeding and pain with medication and other simple lifestyle changes.

If a blood clot has formed within an external hemorrhoid, our surgeons can easily remove it with a simple incision. For persistent bleeding or painful hemorrhoids, we can offer:

• Banding—We place one or two tiny rubber bands around the base of a hemorrhoid to cut off its circulation so it falls off. This simple procedure is done in the doctor's office and is effective for many people.
• Sclerotherapy—A chemical solution is injected around the blood vessel to shrink the hemorrhoid.
• Infrared light—A quick burst of infrared light is used to cut off circulation to small, bleeding, internal hemorrhoids.
• Surgery—If other procedures haven't been successful or if you have large hemorrhoids, your doctor can remove them with a procedure called hemorrhoidectomy.

Rectal Prolapse

This can occur in children and adults, and is more common in women. The rectum becomes turned inside out, and in advanced stages may protrude from the body. Our surgeons usually correct this condition surgically.

Fissure

This is a tear in the lining of the anus that becomes quite painful and results in bleeding and pain with a bowel movement. It often can be treated with dietary changes, bathes and medication, but also can be corrected surgically.

Fistula

This is a form of infection around the rectum. An abnormal, thin tunnel forms and connects the inside of the rectum with the outside through a small hole that is located to the side of the rectum. When surgery is necessary, our surgeons open the fistula channel so that healing occurs from the inside out. Most of the time, fistula surgery is done on an outpatient basis or with a short hospital stay.

Fecal Incontinence

If you have fecal incontinence, our surgeons may do a rectal ultrasound, nerve test or an anorectal manometry. The manometry test measures the pressures of the anal sphincter muscles, the sensation in the rectum and the neural reflexes that are needed for normal bowel movements.

Treatment may be as simple as changing your diet, exercise, biofeedback or "secca" procedures (radiofrequency energy is used to strengthen the sphincter muscles). In severe cases, surgery may be required for you to regain control. The most common surgical procedure is called a sphincteroplasty.

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