The Rafaelo® Procedure at Cardiff and Vale Hospitals

Who is the Rafaelo® procedure suitable for?

This procedure is ideally suited for patients with haemorrhoid grades 1–3. Some grade 4 haemorrhoids may be reduced but likely not to a complete resolution, which often will require surgery.

Suitable for patients experiencing:

• bleeding after passing a stool (the blood is usually bright red)
• itchy bottom
• a lump hanging down outside of the anus, which may need to be pushed back in after passing a stool
• a mucus discharge after passing a stool
• soreness, redness and swelling around your anus

What does the procedure involve?

The procedure is minimally invasive, and in most cases does not require a general anaesthetic and a number of patients have returned to their normal daily activities immediately after treatment.

• A local anaesthetic will be applied to the area of your haemorrhoid.
  
• The Device, emitting a safe and painless radio frequency energy, is then used to stem its blood supply and cause the haemorrhoid to contract.
• The procedure takes just a few minutes.
• In most cases, symptoms improve instantly.

How long is the recovery process?

Once the procedure is completed, most patients can return to their daily activities, but depending on the grade of their haemorrhoids post procedure recovery may take a little longer.

A number of patients have reported excellent results with little to no aftercare requirement.