Stapled hemorrhoidopexy: A single-center 8 years' experience

Purpose: Stapled hemorrhoidopexy (SH) is associated with shorter operative time, reduced inpatient stay, less pain, and earlier return to normal activities. The present study was conducted to assess the clinical consequences of SH and to establish the suitability of SH for all patients of grade III or IV hemorrhoids. Patients and Methods: This study included 250 patients who underwent SH at Aarogya Hospital, Raipur, India, from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2017 and follow-up completed on December 31, 2019. SH procedure was performed according to the LONGO technique. The pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS). Patients were followed up after 1 week, then monthly for 2 months, and 6 monthly for 2 years. Results: There were 163 males (65.2%) and 87 (34.8) females. Preoperatively, 87.2% of cases had anal bleeding, constipation in 73.2% cases, and associated pain in 52.4% cases. Operative time duration ranged between 25 and 50 min. Two-hundred and twenty-one (88.4%) patients were discharged within 24 h postoperatively and remaining within 48 h. Discussion: The most important advantage of SH as cited by various studies is a profound reduction in postoperative pain analgesia requirement and better quality of life. The postoperative pain rapidly decreased in severity to the VAS score of 2, in 73.6 cases within 24 h, facilitating early discharge of the patients our recurrence rates were nil in SH. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that SH is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated procedure with minimum postoperative pain and complication rates.