Hemorrhoidectomy: indications and risks.

Hemorrhoids are a common cause of perianal complaints and affect 1-10 million people in North-America and with similar incidence in Europe. Symptomatic hemorrhoids are associated with nutrition, inherited predisposition, retention of feces with or without chronic abuse of laxatives or diarrhea. Increased pressure and shearing force in the anal canal may lead to severe changes in topography with detachment of the hemorrhoids from the internal sphincter and fibromuscular network resulting in bleeding, itching, pain and disordered anorectal function, even incontinence. The significance of hemorrhoids for anal continence (corpus cavernosum) is recognized. In most instances, hemorrhoids are treated conservatively; the surgeon is contacted when conservative measures have failed or complications, e.g., thrombosis, have occurred. 4 degrees prolapsed internal hemorrhoids are the main indication for hemorrhoidectomy: high (Parks) or low (Milligan-Morgan) ligation with excision, closed hemorrhoidectomy (Ferguson) or stapler hemorrhoidectomy. Thrombosed external hemorrhoids are primary treated by incision and secondary by excision. Complications after operative treatment of external thrombosed hemorrhoids are rare. After standard hemorrhoidectomy for internal hemorrhoids approximately 10% may have a complicated follow-up (bleeding, fissure, fistula, abscess, stenosis, urinary retention, soiling, incontinence); there may be concomitant disease, e.g., perianal cryptoglandular infection, causing complex fistula/abscess, which is associated with an increased risk (30-80%) for complications, e.g., incontinence. Other treatment options, e.g., sphincterotomy, anal stretch, have been accused to cause more complications, e.g., incontinence in 30-50% of cases. However, incontinence is a complex phenomenon; it is evident that an isolated single injury is normally not a sufficient cause, e.g., injury of the internal sphincter. The majority of patients may present with prior obstetric injury, perianal infection or Crohn's disease and other comorbidity. Therefore all systemic and regional disorders, causing incontinence, should be excluded before starting manometric, neurophysiological and sonographic investigations. Variation and overlap in test results, patient-, instrument- or operator-dependent factors ask for cautious interpretation. There is vast evidence that the demonstration of muscle fibers in hemorrhoidectomy specimens is a normal feature. In conclusion, standard hemorrhoidectomy with proper indication is a safe procedure. If complications occur, it is in the interest of the patient and surgeon to perform a thorough investigation.