Conventional hemorrhoidectomy is still the main stairway to the treatment of the third or the fourth degree hemorrhoids. Among the various methods of hemorrhoidectomy, open hemonhoidectomy is claimed to decrease postoperative pain and wound infection, but to have disadvantage of long period of wound healing. Semi-closed hemorrhoidectomy has the advantage of rapid wound healing without increased risk of wound infection, but more painful postoperative course than open hemorrhoidectomy is suggested. To assess this conventional concept, two hundreds of patients were randomly
allocated to either an open hemorrhoidectomy(Group 4, Operated by modified Goligher method, n=100) or a semi-closed hemorrhoidectomy(Group B, Operated by modified Nesselrod method, n=100), and postoperative results were analyzed. In group 4, the average time for disappearance of wound edema was 4.9days, average time for disappearance of wound pain was 9.0days, average time for painless defecation was 14.1 days, average time for complete wound healing was 28.4days. The main complications were overgranulation, skin tag, anal discharge and pruritus. The overgranulation requires curettage, the skin tags were resected under local anesthesia. Anal discharge and pruritus were spontaneously disappeared after the healing of the wound. In group B, the average time for disappearance of wound edema was 6.1 days, average time for disappearance of wound pain was 6.3days, average time for painless defecation was 9.2days, average time for complete wound healing was 20.7days. The main complications were skin tags, more prevalent than group 4, requiring resection under local anesthesia. No infectious complications were noted in both groups. Consequently, the old concept that open hemorrhoidectomy has advantage of less painful postoperative course than semiclosed hemorrhoidectomy cannot be accepted. Semi-closed hemorrhoidectomy offers more rapid loss of pain and more rapid healing of the wound than open hemorrhoidectomy, without increased risk of infectious complications. In conclusion, semi-closed hemorrhoidectomy is superior method to open hemorrhoidectomy in third or fourth degree hemorrhoids.
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