Hemorrhoid surgery is sometimes necessary if your hemorrhoids have gone untreated for too long. The available options have grown in recent years while the outcomes have improved.
One of the most common and most low tech surgical procedures is called rubber band ligation. A small rubber band is wrapped around the hemorrhoid cutting off its blood supply until it shrivels up and goes away. It is not an entirely comfortable procedure but it avoids more invasive surgery.
The most invasive type of hemorrhoid treatment is called a hemorrhoidectomy. Done under local or general anesthesia, a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove the hemorrhoids. Recovery from this surgery is apt to be painful.
Less invasive is the Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH). Here a surgical stapler-like device is used to reposition and fasten the hemorrhoids in the lower intestine and cut off its blood supply thereby leading to the hemorrhoid shrinking and the problem healing.
In sclerotherapy, a chemical is injected into the area around the blood vessel supplying the hemorrhoid. The hemorrhoids harden and the blood supply diminishes which causes it to shrink. Of all the techniques mentioned here, this one has the highest likelihood of needing to be repeated within twelve months.
The most high tech hemorrhoid procedure uses a laser beam. The laser blasts away the hemorrhoid tissue as well as seals off the blood vessels leading to that area. This technique is among the newest and not every doctor is qualified to perform it. Laser treatments are done on an outpatient basis so no overnight stay in a hospital is needed. It has a very high success rate and patients can resume normal activities more quickly than with other surgeries.
Regardless of which surgical method seems best, the ideal solution is to not need surgery at all. All surgery has some risk and expenseinvolved so you should avoid it if you can. Hemorrhoids that get so bad they require surgery took time to develop. When they appear initially, they are easily treatable often with mild lifestyle and dietary changes. Learn what thesymptoms are so you can treat your hemorrhoids while they are still small and new.