title: Haemorrhoidectomy: randomised controlled clinical trial of Ligasure compared with Milligan-Morgan operation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of the Ligasure system in the management of haemorrhoids.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unblinded randomised clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  112 patients with third and fourth degree haemorrhoids.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 56 patients we used Ligasure system and a variant of Milligan and Morgan's technique. For the other 56, we used the traditional technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postoperative pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Operating times varied from 100 seconds for each haemorrhoidal cushion with Ligasure system to the 313 seconds by the traditional technique. The blood loss was not quantifiable in patients operated on with Ligasure. Pain was scored on a visual analogue scale. In the Ligasure group, the mean scores were 4.9 (immediate postoperative period) and 2.3 (24 hours later). In the other group, the scores were 7.8 and 6.9. These differences were significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Haemorrhoidectomy using Ligasure as a technical variant of Milligan and Morgan's technique has important advantages.
authors.affiliation: Surgery Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Malaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos Vara
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Thorbeck
authors.forename: Manuel Felices
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Montes
mesh_terms: D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000601:surgery*; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain