Paola Cellerino

Dr Paola Cellerino is an assistant surgeon at the Coloproctological and Pelvic Floor Surgery Unit of IRCCS Policlinico San Donato and consultant colorectal surgeon at Casa di Cura La Madonnina.

After graduating in Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan, she specialised in General Surgery at the same university in 1999.

Throughout her career, she developed specialist training in coloproctology, gaining experience at specialist centres abroad as well, including St Mark’s Hospital and Academic Institute in London, 2006, the Department of Colorectal Surgery of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, 2003, the Department of Coloproctology of Geneva University Hospital, 2001, and the Department of Surgery of Lund University Hospital, Sweden, 1997.

From 2000 to 2018, she worked as a general surgeon at the Department of General Surgery of Ospedale Luigi Sacco in Milan and, from 2018 to 2022, she worked as a general surgeon with a specific interest in coloproctological diseases, both benign and malignant, at Ospedale Fatebenefratelli in Milan.

At both facilities, she is responsible for the Coloproctology service and actively collaborates with the Stoma Therapy and Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation services. During her years at Ospedale Sacco, she was also consultant for the hospital’s Infectious Diseases departments, acquiring specific expertise in surgical diseases in immunocompromised patients. She was a member of the interdisciplinary group for the study of diseases associated with papillomavirus, GISPAP, in collaboration with Infectious Diseases Unit I, the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Unit, the Pathological Anatomy Unit and the Microbiology Laboratory of Ospedale Sacco.

With regard to coloproctology, she has developed a particular interest in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders, with special attention to women’s health, including rectal or multicompartmental prolapse, incontinence and obstructed defecation syndrome.

She performs traditional and high-resolution anoscopy, HRA, for the study of HPV-related conditions, condylomas, and tumours of the anus and anal canal.

She deals with surgery for haemorrhoids, fissures, abscesses and perianal fistulas, using the different surgical techniques available, such as mechanical stapling, haemorrhoidectomy, laser, THD, radiofrequency, ultrasonic scalpel, etc.

She has also attended several specialist courses and is the author of numerous scientific papers published in renowned national and international journals. She has also organised residential courses dedicated to colorectal diseases, including, by way of example, “the care pathway for patients with enterostomy”, 2009-2019, and “prevention and rehabilitation of urinary and faecal incontinence in women”, 2009.