Diathermy is a therapeutic and surgery procedure first practiced in 1910 by Celedonio Calatayud, a Spanish scientist and radiologist and founder of Spanish Medical Electrology and Radiology Society. The essence, however, is the brainchild of French physiologist Arséne d’Arsonval, but it was German physician Carl Franz Nagelschmidt who designed a prototype and coined the term.
The treatment makes use of high-frequency currents to treat patients suffering from arthritis, bursitis, and other joint-related problems. It is also used in treating sinusitis, infections, fissures and other ulcerative conditions. It is considered a better option than surgical procedures such as hemorrhoidolysis (galvanic electrotherapy), hemorrhoidectomy, and the likes. Another advantage it has over other procedures is that it does not only treat, but also fosters healing. When the electrical current zaps the areas affected, the heat it generates increases blood flow. The procedure is almost virtually painless.
Diathermy has two types. One is monopolar diathermy and the other is bipolar. Bipolar diathermy is also known as bipolar electrotherapy, bipolar coagulation, and bipolar circumactive probe (BICAP) coagulation.
Bipolar electrotherapy provides more efficacy than the monopolar one because it aims at a target and prevents the currents from flowing through other areas. It is often used to treat anal fissures.
Fissures develop when the tissues within anus get traumatized either from bowel movement problems or from a surgical equipment inserted into the anal canal for medical screening and procedures. The current is targeted towards the mucous membrane through a stylus attached to the electrotherapy machine. Applications would generate heat to the affected tissues and kill the abnormal ones.
Bipolar electrotherapies are quite successful in treating fissures. However, only professionals should handle the procedure as harm could be done if the set of precautions are not followed carefully. Each application should only last two seconds. Leaving the stylus more than the prescribed period may inflict burns.
Meanwhile, side effects are minimal. The professional performing the procedure should be more careful when treating a patient with heat sensitivity. Women who undergo the procedure may experience an increase in menstrual flow if it was done near the pelvic area. Pregnant women should not undergo treatment as it would have an effect on the baby and it may cause deformity. Those with metal implants are also disqualified from having the procedure as it may result to serious burns due metal being a conductor of heat.
Despite its success and availability, people suffering from anal fissures still refuse to undergo treatment. Professionals suggest that the cost of the procedure and the level of pain it may cause are not the factors as to why they refuse it. People with this kind of condition are often embarrassed to even seek professional help and most of them resort to home remedies that would treat the fissures but it would take longer than if they had the procedure.
Elders are the usual victims of this condition and statistics show that almost half of the Americans aged 60 and above suffer from this. Professionals encourage people suffering from anal fissures to get treatment immediately.
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