When a laser is used in a very narrow focused beam, it is capable of pinpoint accuracy which makes it an excellent tool for the surgical cutting of hemorrhoids. This procedure is essentially the same as the hemorrhoidectomy which uses a scalpel to remove the hemorrhoid, except that a laser is used to do the cutting. This procedure is usually used on larger hemorrhoids, for smaller hemorrhoids, rubber band ligation or infrared coagulation may be more appropriate.

Benefits of Hemorrhoid Laser Surgery

• Due to the very focused beam, potential damage to surrounding tissue is minimized.
• The laser beam cauterizes the wound as the cutting is done so that bleeding is minimal to nonexistent.
• This procedure doesn’t produce smoke or other emissions that could potentially block the doctor’s vision during the procedure.
• Most patients are back to their regular routine in 3 to 5 days.
• Only 1 out of every 200 patients has symptoms after the hemorrhoid laser surgery.
• The success rate is very high at 98%

Potential Disadvantages of Hemorrhoid Laser Surgery

• Probably the biggest disadvantage is that this procedure hasn’t shown to be any better than the traditional hemorrhoidectomy.
• Pain levels, potential risk factors and success rate are basically the same as when the hemorrhoids are removed with a scalpel.
• Laser use also creates a minimal risk of fire.

Hemorrhoid surgery may not be as bad as you fear, they’ve come along way from the surgeries of the recent past. Today there are many excellent options availabe today that are very effective with a mimimum of side effects and quite a few of these procedures can be performed on an out patint basis and can have you back to your daily activities very quickly.  

Hemorrhoid Surgery Options:

 

Rubber Band Ligation- A tiny elastic band is wrapped tightly around the hemorrhoid so that the blood is cut off and then the hemorrhoid is just naturally removed from the body.

Hemorrhoidectomy – This procedure is exactly what it sounds like, a surgery to remove the hemorrhoid. This is usually only used in the worst cases because the recovery is very painful and it might cause incontinence problems down the road.

Sclerotherapy- An injectable irritant (sclerosant) is injected into the hemorrhoid itself and this causes the veins to harden and then the hemorrhoid shrivels up and dies.

Doppler Guided Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation- During this procedure, an ultrasound (Doppler) devise is used to find hemorrhoidal arteries which are then cut off with a small stitch. With this treatment, there is less discomfort and possible complications than with surgery and the process is very quick and easy.

Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH) (also called the Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy) - A stapler is used to move the anal cavity tissue in such a way that blood supply is cut off to the hemorrhoid and it shrinks, this usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. This is   less painful than a hemorrhoidectomy because it is done in the area with no pain sensors; it also has a faster recovery time and less possible complications.

Avoiding Hemorrhoid Surgery

These are some of the most common hemorrhoid surgery options, but there are several other surgical hemroid treatment options that your doctor may discuss with you. Only in the worst hemroid cases is it necessary to have surgery and with any luck you will be able to control your hemorrhoids without the need for surgery. Usually simple lifestyle changes, over the counter medications or natural hemroid treatments are enough to manage the condition. Avoiding these 3 common mistakes can also help you avoid the possibility of hemorrhoid surgery.

Hemroid surgery is not the horror that many people expect it to be, in fact, a lot of the procedures being done nowadays can even be done in an office setting as an outpatient procedure. Today’s hemroid surgery options offer quick recovery times and less short term and long term side effects, than surgical options of the not so distant past. Hemorrhoids are graded on a scale of I to IV, with IV being the most advanced case of hemorrhoids, the hemroid surgery you will need is in part determined by the grade of your hemorrhoid.

Options for Hemroid Surgery

Rubber Band Ligation – This is the most commonly performed office procedure for hemorrhoids, it is recommended for Grade II hemorrhoids. Tiny rubber bands are put around the base of the hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid which causes it to dry up in about 2 to 7 days. This procedure is popular because it can be performed quickly, allows for multiple hemorrhoid bandings in one sitting, results in minimal pain and offers a quick recovery. This treatment has a success rate of about 80%, but goes down with each subsequent treatment and if more than four bands are required, success rates are also lower.

Doppler Guided Hemorrhoid Arterial Ligation (DG-HAL) -
This is a relatively new procedure that was developed in 1995 by Kazumasa Morinaga, a surgeon. This office procedure uses Doppler radar to quickly locate the hemorrhoidal veins where the blood supply to the hemorrhoid is quickly cut off with a stitch. This procedure is recommended for Grade III and IV hemorrhoids. This procedure is quicker than the rubber band ligation and offers a minimum of pain with most patients being back to their regular activities within 2 days. This procedure has a success rate over 90% after 2 years.

Infrared Coagulation – This procedure uses a very focused beam of infrared light to cause a blood clot to form in the hemorrhoid, once this clot forms, the hemorrhoid slowly dries up. This procedure can be used on Grade I to III hemorrhoids. Some of the benefits are that is quick, typically less painful than rubber band ligation and allows for treating multiple hemorrhoids in the same session. Some potential downsides are that this procedure doesn’t have as good a long term success rate as rubber band ligation, multiple sessions may be required and additional treatments will usually be required after one year.

Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy (also called Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids or PPH) – A stapler is used to reposition the tissue in the anal canal, so that that blood supply to the hemorrhoid is cut off. Once the blood supply is cut off, the hemorrhoid slowly dries up, usually over the course of about 4 to 8 weeks. This surgery is recommended for Grade III and IV hemorrhoids. When this procedure is performed above the dentate line, this hemroid surgery offers minimal pain; this is due to the fact that the upper 2/3rds of the anal canal above the dentate line has no pain receptors. Potential side effects include potential long term damage to the anal muscles which may result in incontinence. Some studies show that the stapled hemorrhoidectomy isn’t as effective at preventing the reoccurrence of internal hemorrhoids as the traditional hemorrhoidectomy.

Hemorrhoidectomy – This hemroid surgery involves cutting off the hemorrhoid with a scalpel, and because the hemorrhoidectomy involves actually cutting into the anal tissue, there is an increased risk of both long term and short term side effects such as bleeding, infection and incontinence. The hemorrhoidectomy is still in wide spread use, but only on the most serious grade of hemorrhoids and usually only after other treatment have already been tried and found to be unsuccessful. This surgery has been found to be better at preventing reoccurrence than the stapled hemorrhoidectomy.