Diagnosis and treatment of haemorrhoids.

These guidelines provide a review of diagnosis, conservative and surgical treatment of haemorrhoids with primary focus on the surgical treatment. In symptomatic hemorrhoids it is recommended, that conservative treatment is used as basic treatment regardless of grading. The vast majority of grade II haemorrhoids are treated conservatively, but surgery may be considered in a few cases with pronounced symptoms.

Nd-YAG laser treatment of primary and recurrent pilonidal sinus.

A pilonidal sinus usually contains hair and extensive vascularization due to inflammation, which theoretically gives Nd-YAG laser waves the potential to destroy the deep fistula systems of the sinus without affecting the overlying skin. We describe our preliminary experience with Nd-YAG laser waves in the treatment of pilonidal sinus. A total of 41 consecutive patients with pilonidal sinus underwent the intended Nd-YAG laser treatment.

Nd-YAG laser treatment in a patient with complicated pilonidal cysts.

A 38-year-old woman with a recurrent suppurative pilonidal cyst was successfully treated causally with an Nd-YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) laser, and with no recurrence at 3-month follow-up. A similar success was observed for another 15 consecutively treated patients, including suppurative cases. The effect could be attributable to the ability of the YAG laser to operate at a wavelength of 1064 nm and to penetrate the skin to levels deeper than that of most other lasers before the energy is absorbed in melanin and oxyhaemoglobin.

[Treatment of pilonidal cyst with Nd-YAG laser].

A 23 year-old woman with a nonsupporative pilonidal cyst was successfully treated causally with Nd-YAG laser, and without any recidivate after 9 months follow-up. The mechanism is presumed to be that YAG-laser has a wave-length of 1064 nm. Consequently, the wave penetration through the skin is deeper than most other lasers before the energy is absorbed in melanin and oxyhaemoglobin, so the contents of the cyst can be reached and destroyed.