Stapled Hemorrhoidopexy: Results at 10-Year Follow-up

BACKGROUND: Despite the advantages of stapled hemorrhoidopexy reported in the literature in terms of postoperative pain, hospital stay, and duration of convalescence, it was described to have a higher recurrence rate compared with conventional hemorrhoidectomy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction after stapled hemorrhoidopexy at 10-year follow-up. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort analysis conducted on prospectively collected data. SETTINGS: The study was conducted at a single tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Eighty-six consecutive patients treated with stapled hemorrhoidopexy for grade 3 hemorrhoidal prolapse between January and December 2006 were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients satisfaction and recurrence rates were measured. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients (45 men and 41 women; median age, 49 y (range, 31-74 y)) underwent stapled hemorrhoidopexy. Eight patients had urinary retention during the immediate postoperative period, and 2 patients required a reoperation for suture line bleeding. The median hospital stay was 12 hours (range, 12-96 h). No suture line dehiscence, rectovaginal fistula, pelvic sepsis, anal abscess, or anal stenosis was recorded during the follow-up. Seventy-seven patients (90%) completed the expected follow-up, with a median duration of 119.0 months (range 115.4-121.8 mo). Among them, 30 patients (39%) experienced a recurrent hemorrhoidal prolapse, 8 of whom needed a reoperation. Thirty-four patients (44%) reported urge to defecate with a median visual analog scale of 1 (range, 1-7). Six patients (8%) reported gas leakage at the last follow-up visit, whereas no liquid or solid stool leakage was recorded. Satisfaction rate at 10-year follow-up was 68%. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by its small sample size and lack of a control group. CONCLUSIONS: The high recurrence rate and low patient satisfaction rate showed that stapled hemorrhoidopexy reduces its efficacy in the long-term. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A510.