“As surgeons we have been searching over the centuries for a perfect procedure to control and treat haemorrhoids. Haemorrhoids are basically varicose veins in the back passage. They are meant to be there but over time and with constant wear and tear and increased intra-abdominal pressure they get bigger and cause significant symptoms.
“I have found the Rafaelo procedure to be a quick, comfortable and efficacious treatment for suitable symptomatic haemorrhoids. Using this new application of well-established radiofrequency technology I have patients who have avoided conventional haemorrhoidectomy surgery. Patients are able to return to normal activities quickly with little or no disruption and minimal or no post-procedure discomfort. I am pleased to be able to add the Rafaelo procedure to the options I have to treat patients with troublesome haemorrhoids”.
Mr Amyn Haji MA MBBChir MSc MD FRCS Consultant Colorectal & Laparoscopic Surgeon, Clinical Lead for Endoscopy and Colorectal Surgery, Honorary Senior Lecturer King’s College Hospital, London.
“Having undertaken the first cohort of Rafaelo patients in the West Midlands, I am extremely excited over this revolutionary state of the art technology for the management of haemorrhoids.
‘Piles surgery’ has traditionally been a painful and highly morbid operation. Rafaelo has turned this on its head. The immediate advantage is the ability to avoid a general anaesthetic. This allows the patient to effectively walk in and walk out of the clinic following treatment. My own patients have had very little in the way of discomfort and initial follow up results are very pleasing both from a clinical response to treatment and from patient feedback.
Mr Amit Patel. MD FRCSMr Patel is a Consultant Laparoscopic General and Colorectal Surgeon. He is a Senior Academy Tutor at Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust and practices privately at Spire South Bank and BMI Droitwich Spa Hospitals.
Mr Joseph Ellul MB, BCh., MCh (Wales)., FRCSMr Ellul is a Consultant Colorectal and Laparoscopic Surgeon at BMI Chelsfield Hospital in Orpington, Kent and BMI The Sloane Hospital in Beckenham, Kent.
Mr Stephen Warren BSc Hons, MB BS, FRCS, FRCS(Gen Surg), MSMr Warren is a laparoscopic general and colorectal surgeon operating out of BMI Kings Oak and Cavell Hospitals, as well as the Wellington and Highgate Hospitals in London.
Rafaelo for Surgeons – your questions answered.
Why should I offer The Rafaelo Procedure?
Whilst most surgeons have their preferred treatment for the removal of haemorrhoids, generally depending upon the grade, no-one professes to have found one treatment which is entirely satisfactory above all others. All traditional treatments incur some element of inter-procedural or post-procedural pain for the patient and generally the recurrence rates have been shown to hover around the 30% mark across the board. In many cases, traditional treatments require the costly use of theatre space, with some procedures taking up to an hour to complete, and most requiring post-operative after-care to aid patient recovery.
The Rafaelo Procedure can take a fraction of the time to perform, is relatively painless for the patient with them often requiring no more than mild sedation and local anaesthetic.
Rafaelo is generally offered as a day-case procedure in Endoscopy (relieving the burden on theatres) and in most cases the patient leaves shortly after treatment with no pain whatsoever. Multiple patients report returning to a normal, haemorrhoid free lifestyle the same day. For more information on the Procedure itself, go to The Rafaelo Procedure page.
We receive thousands of hits on our website each month from people seeking haemorrhoid treatment and many who enquire are referred by us to their nearest practitioner – this provides any surgeon with a boost to their existing private practice.
The Rafaelo Procedure is quick and simple to operate. Training is provided free of charge to surgeons interested in learning more about the procedure and in becoming an Approved Rafaelo Procedure Practitioner themselves.
We are working with a growing number of surgeons throughout the UK, more than 80 of whom have already been trained and are planning to offer the treatment from their respective hospitals. The treatment is already being offered from several BMI, Spire, Nuffield, Private Independent Hospitals and Clinics, as well as now being offered at selected NHS hospitals. Feedback has been extremely positive from both surgeons and patients alike.
Training is held regularly but spaces are strictly limited and all sessions are usually over-subscribed, so early registration is advised (please click the button below to register your interest) Generally, there is a 2 month waiting list to become enrolled onto a training session.
Is The Rafaelo Procedure recognised by Private Health Insurers?
The Rafaelo Procedure is covered by BUPA, AVIVA, CIGNA and WPA and we expect other main insurers to follow suit in coming months.
NICE published their Guidance on the use of radio frequency ablation in the treatment of haemorrhoids in August 2017, with recommendations. At that time, limited UK clinical studies were available and hence their advice was for surgeons performing the procedure to audit their results in order for long term data to be collated. NICE provided a data collection form to facilitate this process.
Click here to download – NICE clinical-audit-tool.
Click on either of the above links to download.
More recently, a number of studies continue to be carried out both in the UK and across Europe, the latest one to have been published was in the Journal of Coloproctology – June 2018.
Others studies are currently being compiled in the UK and indeed two have been approved for publication, links to which will appear here shortly.
We are in the process of creating a multi-user cloud/app based data audit facility, in conjunction with University College Hospital, London, via secure password access, to allow all approved Rafaelo practitioners to contribute their treatment data for further collective analysis and study.
How will The Rafaelo Procedure be marketed?
We currently work with the Business Development Managers, Executive Directors and marketing departments of each hospital to support the Surgeon in the introduction of the Rafaelo system. We will continue to offer support in supervising initial cases and promoting the treatment locally. We also assist in the presentation of the treatment to local MACs and in new novel procedure applications, when required.