The transformation of medicine and its specialties is increasingly frequent. In colorectal surgery it is no different. From robotic surgery to the incorporation of artificial intelligence to assist diagnoses and treatment proposals.The return of the use of lasers and new technologies in the specialty and new possibilities for applying energy to treat diseases in the anorectal region.
In addition to our own personal training with the Brazilian Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery (SBLMC) and the Brazilian Society of Coloproctology (SBCP), we seek new paths with the Laser Academy. An instrument for transforming and demystifying the correct use of lasers and new technologies for surgeons.
While colleagues understand the physics behind the technology and no longer only have electrosurgery as an option for treating common conditions such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal fistulas, pilonidal cysts and wounds, patients benefit from the results of already trained doctors, with less pain, less risk of strictures and local complications, in addition to early return to work and usual activities. What does that mean? We transform the post-operative pain of hemorrhoid surgery, with around 30 - 40 days to return to normal life, into just over 5-7 days of discomfort controllable with analgesics, using technology and laser surgery and focusing care on the patient, who always deserves to be very well supported in this moment of fragility.
The use of lasers in the anorectal region is not new; it dates back to the 1980s/90s, when the first articles using CO2 lasers already showed less pain and the possibility of outpatient surgeries (without prolonged hospitalizations). Advances in technology in the following years, with the use of surgical scanners coupled with energy sources, further improved the quality of vaporization and the surgical wound.
In the 2000s, the appearance of endo laser fibers transformed the care of the anorectal region, with protocols and studies on the different wavelengths of diodes 810, 980, and 1470 applied to hemorrhoids, anal fistulas, and pilonidal cysts. Another vast body of literature is photobiomodulation, with the application of energy from different sources, such as LED and laser, to enhance the mitochondrial response to insults or even before they happen.
Our educational institution, Academia do Laser, with hybrid training - online and in-person, allows us to improve ourselves. Let us have new contacts, learn about new realities and seek daily updates, paying attention to everything that appears in national and international literature. As Brazil is a continental country, being present in all regions is very difficult. Therefore, we try to meet this demand with updated information and lectures from doctors who pioneered the use of lasers in Brazil, most of them from the Brazilian Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery and from various specialties, such as plastic surgery, dermatology, gynecology, vascular surgery and coloproctology. The fusion of medical knowledge, teaching and assistance is what makes us grow and seek new horizons every day. After all, Laser is life!
