Comparison of Effects of Vessel-Sealing Devices and Conventional Hemorrhoidectomy on Postoperative Pain and Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the early and late results of use of LigaSure, Harmonic Scalpel, and conventional hemorrhoidectomy in hemorrhoidectomy, to determine the least painful method, and to investigate the relationship between pain perception and personal differences in hemorrhoid bundles. MATERIAL/METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy between 2014 and 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. We investigated the duration of hospitalization and the presence of bleeding, incontinence, perianal wetness, urinary retention, stenosis, and recurrence during follow-up after surgery. Analgesic requirement was determined by Patient-Controlled Analgesia, as well as pain score by use of the Visual Analog Score and patient satisfaction by Short Form-36. We also assessed the relationship between pain and lateral thermal damage, the number of peripheral nerves, number of excised bundles, and the number of thrombosed vessels, as determined by histopathological examination. RESULTS: No differences were found among the 3 methods in the duration of hospitalization, the presence of bleeding, fecal incontinence, perianal wetness, urinal retention, anal stenosis, recurrence rate, VAS, analgesic consumption, or results of the SF-36. There was no difference in the number of bundles, thrombosed vessels, or number of nerve fibers in a bundle, but the LigaSure Hemorrhoidectomy had more lateral thermal damage (p<0.001). While there was a difference between VAS of day 1 and 7 according to the hemorrhoid bundles, there was no difference in the other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference among the 3 methods in terms of complications, postoperative pain, or patient satisfaction, and pain intensity was positively correlated with the number of excised bundles.