Rectal thrombosis
What is an anorectal thrombosis?
An anus thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot just under the skin next to the anus.
In this case, a small blood vessel in the venous fascia around the anus forms a coagulum, or blood clot.
What are the symptoms?
The lesion is most often felt by the patient as a swelling near the anus.
The clot may be only a few millimetres or several centimetres in diameter.
The lump is usually pressure-sensitive and painful, making sitting uncomfortable, sometimes almost unbearable.
When viewed under a mirror, the clot is a distinctive purplish-dark blue colour that is translucent under the skin.
If the skin above the clot is perforated, a small amount of brownish-red blood or clot may be secreted from the lump during or even without defecation.
The lump usually develops overnight.
Without intervention, it can take a week or even two to three months, depending on the size, for the clot to be completely absorbed.
How do we treat it?
Therapy is essentially determined by the patient’s subjective complaints.
For small clots with minimal complaints, conservative treatment is sufficient.
This involves topical application of creams or gels, taking tablets, and it is very important to keep stools soft and avoid heavy physical work.
Surgical excision is recommended for large, painful clots that significantly impair quality of life.
The procedure can be performed under local anaesthesia in a few minutes.
