Background Hemorrhoids refer to the abnormal enlargement of the anal cushions. They are a common anorectal problem with a prevalence of 5% in the general population aged greater than 40 years. The objective of this study was to compare Milligan-Morgan open hemorrhoidectomy with pedicle ligation with LigaSure (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) in terms of postoperative pain on day 1 and day 7. It is important to assess the technique that is associated with lower postoperative pain because both of these techniques are still practiced in the developing world. Methods It was a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Department of Surgery, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A total of 100 patients were selected and were allotted into the two groups by lottery method. Patients aged from 15 to 60 years who presented with symptomatic third and fourth-degree hemorrhoids were included after taking informed consent. Patients who had a previous or concomitant anorectal disease, patients who had undergone previous surgery for hemorrhoids, and those who were anesthetically unfit for surgery (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 3 or above) were excluded from the study. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue scale (VAS). Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA). Chi-square tests were applied. P-value <0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results Out of 100 patients, 68 (68%) were males while 32 (32%) were females. The mean age was 40.56±9.24 years. Postoperative pain at day 1 was 9.24±0.51 in the Milligan-Morgan group while that in the LigaSure group was 8.44±0.64 (p<0.0001). Postoperative pain at day 7 was 5.00±0.85 in the Milligan-Morgan group while it was 3.04±1.08 in the LigaSure group (p<0.0001). Conclusion LigaSure is a newer technique that helps to reduce complications as compared to other traditional hemorrhoidectomy procedures. Many patients avoid hemorrhoidectomy as it is associated with painful postoperative recovery. Pedicle coagulation with LigaSure was better than conventional Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy in terms of reducing the mean postoperative pain on 1st day and 7th day. Reducing the postoperative pain helps in greater patient satisfaction and lesser requirement of analgesia among patients of 3rd and 4th-degree hemorrhoids undergoing hemorrhoidectomy.
Keywords: haemorrhoidectomy; ligasure; milligan morgan; post-operative pain management; randomised controlled trial.
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