COLORECTAL SURGERY BLOG

What’s a Proctologist and Why Would You Need One? A proctologist, also known as a colon and rectal surgeon, is a medical doctor who deals with the diagnosis and treatment of problems related to the colon, rectum and anus. Whenever you feel pain or discomfort in any of these areas, that’s when you need to

Pilonidal Sinus, Cysts and Abscesses. Pilonidal disease.  Pilo (pilus) means “hair”.  Nidal, (from Nidus or center), means “nest”. What does this mean? Pilonidal disease is centered around a hair or a group of hairs and other infected material located near the tailbone.  As can be seen by the names of the diseases beginning with the word

What Is Neoadjuvant Therapy? Rectal cancer is a frightening diagnosis for anyone.  With the advent of newer chemotherapy drugs, combined with radiation therapy, cure rates have risen and death rates have fallen.  Good news. However, patients continue to require complex operations to remove the tumor. This requires removing all or part of the rectum, depending

Exercising with hemorrhoids? On one hand, exercise can cause pain and irritation, worsening any hemorrhoid-related symptoms you already have. Strenuous activities and heavy lifting can cause hemorrhoids to swell, exacerbating the symptoms even more. On the other hand, a lack of exercise can also make matters worse. Sitting causes blood to pool, leading to engorged

Why A Robot? Robotic surgery is the latest technique for performing minimally invasive procedures. It can be used to address a variety of colorectal conditions.  It offers advantages over traditional “open” or laparoscopic operations.  Robotic surgery is a sophisticated operation and is available in large cities such as Los Angeles, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  Robotic

Diverticulitis.  What Is It? Everyone knows about diverticulitis.  Everyone has heard the old wives’ tales that eating corn and nuts or seeds will cause an inflammation of the colon because these foods “get stuck” in the diverticulosis sacs (this is not true).  And then there is the dreaded colostomy. Many people know someone who had

Why Do Hemorrhoids Hurt? Hemorrhoids.  Most adults have them.  In fact more than one half of the adult population has reported having symptomatic hemorrhoids.  Hemorrhoids do not respect gender, race or age.  They can occur in big cities like Los Angeles and in smaller cities like Beverly Hills, Culver City or West Hollywood.  Hemorrhoids are

Anal Condyloma.  Venereal Warts.  A Difficult Problem Venereal warts, anal warts, anogenital warts, or condyloma acuminata – no matter what you call them, there’s a stigma attached to having them. But while most people feel themselves to be an outcast when they learn they have contracted the disease, the Center for Disease Control estimates that over 50%

A Bit of history.  Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus, was described in the early part of the 20th century and is a member of a group of gastrointestinal illnesses known as inflammatory bowel diseases, or IBD.  In the 1930’s

Anal Warts.  What Are They? Anal warts, also known as condyloma acuminata, are one of the most common diseases affecting the anal area.  They are thought of as sexually transmitted diseases, but are also easily transmitted through non-sexual contact.  They affect people in large cities such as Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.  And