Papers of the Week

Haemorrhoids are vascular cushions that underlie the distal rectal mucosa and contribute approximately 15-20% of the resting anal pressure, ensuring complete closure of the anal canal. Apart of the wellknown chronic disturbances (prolapse, bleeding, pruritus) they can have an acute painful appearance that is a debilitating condition with an economic and social impact due to the time off work, high cost of treatments and reduction in quality of life. This complication, common in young adult patients with no gender differences and known as thrombosed haemorrhoids (TEH) can involve both the external and internal haemorrhoidal plexuses, being the first more frequently affected.