Private Lecturer Dr. Jacob treats anal and pilonidal cysts with laser therapy gentle to tissue and low in pain
In Berlin, Private Lecturer Dr. Dietmar Jacob works in the office association Chirurgisch Orthopädischer PraxisVerbund (COPV) (= Surgical Orthopaedic PracticesAssociation) in Steglitz and Zehlendorf. In addition to conventional methods, the experienced general surgeon and proctologist has focused on minimally invasive surgery in order to provide his patients with a treatment that is gentle on tissue and as painless as possible. The greatest possible patient comfort and an esthetically pleasing result are also the main priorities in the minimally invasive treatment of anal and pilonidal cysts.
Private Lecturer Dr. Jacob, how long have you been working with FiLaC® laser therapy?
I have been working with FiLaC® laser therapy for the treatment of pilonidal and anal cysts since mid 2018 and am very satisfied with this minimally invasive therapy.
In your opinion, what are the advantages in advantage to classical surgery?
In principle, the therapy is associated with significantly less pain than it is the case with a classical operation. This is related to the fact that this is a minimally invasive therapy in which only a very small incision has to be made, or even completely without it.
The subsequent wound treatment and aftercare is therefore very simple when treating anal or pilonidal cysts with minimally invasive laser therapy. In most cases, classical surgery results in a rather large wound area, which is associated with a permanent secretion. In contrast, minimally invasive laser therapy enables rapid convalescence, i.e. recovery.
Another major advantage of FiLaC® laser therapy is, of course, that the sphincter muscle is not endangered during the treatment and thus the risk of incontinence is minimized. This is of course a very important factor for many patients and decisive for treatment. In addition, the therapy of an anal or pilonidal cysts can be performed on an outpatient basis by experienced surgeons and anesthetists and a hospital stay is not necessary.
Diseases of the rectum are a taboo topic for many people and they postpone their visit to the doctor ever further. Why should a patient nevertheless go to the doctor as early as possible?
In principle, diseases can always be treated much better at an early stage than when they are already well advanced. This aspect alone is enough to recommend an early visit to the doctor. In addition, it is always advisable to consult a doctor if you have complaints for more than 4 weeks. This can be bleeding or constant itching. Inhibitions or shame should not play a role. A proctologist is a special specialist who is very familiar with the subject and also knows the fears and inhibitions of the patients.
Is it important to go to a specialist?
Yes, a proctologist should be consulted at all costs. This expert is specialized in the examination of the rectum and can carry out a suitable treatment after a thorough examination.
In rare cases, complaints that are often dismissed as hemorrhoids can also conceal a malignant neoplasm, which must then be clarified immediately. Early assessment by a specialist is particularly important here.
The proctologist also checks whether the patient has undergone the important preventive colonoscopy (men from 50 years of age, women from 55 years of age) and can give a corresponding referral.
What is the procedure of an anal or pilonidal cysts treatment with laser and how long does the recovery take?
In my opinion, all procedures on the anus and in the anal canal should be performed under anesthesia. On the one hand, the surgeon is able to thoroughly examine the anal canal due to the decreasing sphincter muscle activity, which is usually not possible without anesthesia, and can also switch to other surgical techniques if this turns out to be medically reasonable in the course of the treatment. For this reason, patients are always informed about several therapy procedures before an operation, as a detailed examination of the fistula tracts is only possible under anesthesia.
Aftercare is very simple. Patients need little to no painkillers only in the first three days after surgery and have a small open wound on the anus where the fistula was located. As a rule, this will give off some liquid daily in the following 2 - 4 weeks, so that a compress should be inserted into the underpants. After 4 weeks the fistula is usually healed and closed. Further aftercare is then no longer necessary.
The course of treatment is similar for the pilonidal cyst. The actual operation under anesthesia takes 10 minutes and the fistula openings (usually more than one) but still remove some wound fluid in the following 4 weeks. After that the healing is completed here as well.
More informations about Private Lecturer Dr. Jacob and his office: www.copv.berlin