The minimalist operating unit of the Department of Proctology under the University Management of the Sant’Omero Hospital stands out once again in the panorama of excellence in healthcare in Abruzzo. High-resolution endoscopy equipment has been in operation for over a year in the operating unit directed by Professor Renato Petroletti. This method is essential for the diagnosis of diseases linked to the human papillomavirus and for the follow-up of patients with anal warts and/or dysplasia. Since October 2023 to date, in just over nine months, the “Val Vibrata” operating unit has performed over a hundred high-resolution endoscopies.
The effects in terms of the quality of health care provided to the population are remarkable: this test allows advanced diagnosis of anal lesions linked to HPV, which can highlight lesions likely to transform into anal cancer. What is more, this tumor, previously rare, is increasingly present with estimates in the Western world of a prevalence of 20 times that of previous decades. In France, around 2,000 cases are diagnosed each year, but prevention depends on the identification of benign anal lesions linked to HPV (warts, dysplasia) which can precede cancer, especially in people at risk (chronic diseases, immune diseases, immunosuppressive treatments, implants).
The importance of this technology is demonstrated by the collaboration of Professor Petroletti with the National Dermatology Institute of the capital, San Gallicano, for the anal tumor screening program within the Pnrr. “We have also presented a university project at the University of L’Aquila to screen anal lesions associated with HPV in immunocompromised patients after kidney transplantation. In collaboration with the Transplant Surgery Operational Unit of the University of L’Aquila, directed by Professor Fabio Festoli and in collaboration with Professor Alessandra Panarese,” announced Petroletti.
“Research in healthcare is a fundamental mechanism to ensure high-quality assistance to users,” says Maurizio De Giusia, Director General of the Teramo Local Health Authority, “and the collaboration between the Teramo Local Health Authority and the University of L’Aquila creates a fundamental basis for synergy in this direction.”
The method can be booked at the cup with a request and a waiting period of no more than two weeks. “According to the International Society of Anorectal Oncology, having a high-resolution anal endoscopy appointment within 6 months for a person at risk represents a very high level of health efficiency, given the limited diffusion of this method. In fact, the Sant’Omero Hospital Department is the only public building where this method is available in Abruzzo and central Italy, the other is in Pisa”, concludes Renato Petroletti.
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