How do surgeons treat haemorrhoids? A study with special reference to Lord's procedure.

Forty-eight patients treated for haemorrhoids by Lord's procedure have been followed up for 5 years. Preoperative anal pressure and motility studies suggest that the best long-term results occur in patients with an active internal sphincter. Anal pressure was reduced by dilatation and remained static over the next 5 years. It was not possible to predict which patients would have later recurrence of symptoms from anal pressures measured one year after dilatation. Excellent clinical results were obtained in patients with first- and second-degree haemorrhoids, but in those with third-degree haemorrhoids a completely satisfactory outcome occurred in just under half the patients. Members of the Manchester Regional Association of Surgeons completed a questionnaire concerning their methods of treating haemorrhoids. Lord's procedure was the method used most frequently, but only 11% of surgeons used it regularly for patients with third-degree haemorrhoids. One-third of the surgeons still used haemorrhoidectomy for 25% of more of all their patients. Outpatient cryosurgery and rubber-band ligation were not popular, but treatment by dietary advice alone was common.