title: Stapled haemorrhoidopexy: 6 years' experience of a referral centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively evaluate the long-term results and assess patient satisfaction after stapled haemorrhoidopexy (HS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 150 patients (121 male patients) with symptomatic grade II (n = 50) or III (n = 100) haemorrhoids underwent stapled HS. Patients were followed up during consultations at regular intervals, allowing prospective data collection. A final telephone follow up was also undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Follow up data were obtained for 130 of 150 patients (86.6%). After a median follow up of 39 months (range, 12-72), 90% of the patients were fully satisfied and 92% were free of haemorrhoidal symptoms. There were no intraoperative complications. Postoperative bleeding that required operation was observed in five patients (3.3%). Most late postoperative complications were benign and easily resolved: unexplained pain for over a month (n = 1), external haemorrhoidal thrombosis (n = 2), anal fissure (n = 6) one with hypertrophic papilla, anal fistula (n = 1), rectal stenosis (n = 1), anal incontinence for (n = 1). Eight patients needed rubber band ligation to treat persistent or recurrent symptomatic prolapse. Four patients (2.6%) were reoperated on during the follow up period but none for haemorrhoidal pathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stapled HS procedure is effective and has low morbidity, high patient satisfaction and provided good long-term control of haemorrhoidal symptoms in the treatment of second and third-degree haemorrhoids.
authors.affiliation: Service de proctologie interventionnelle, Groupe hospitalier Diaconesses-Croix, Saint Simon, Paris, France. samy.sultan@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rabahi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Etienney
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Atienza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018579:Patient Selection; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017792:Surgical Stapling / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult