Stapled haemorrhoidectomy--no pain, no gain?

Stapled anopexy/haemorrhoidectomy (SH) was introduced in 1993 and first described by Longo in 1998. In New Zealand, more than 700 stapled haemorrhoidectomies have been performed. The procedure is one of the most studied of all recent new surgical technologies, and the literature is surveyed in this paper to assess the procedure's safety and efficacy. From review of the current literature is seems appropriate to conclude that SH is a safe procedure. It is probably not the answer for all haemorrhoids, especially those that are extremely large or are associated with a very significant external component. The procedure certainly has a sound theoretical basis and is likely here to stay. Patients like it because it is less painful than conventional techniques but they need to be counselled that its durability is not known.