PPH versus THD: a comparison of two techniques for III and IV degree haemorrhoids. Personal experience

The aim of our study was to evaluate, through prospective randomized study, the outcome and the immediate and late complications of the two types of surgery most widely used for degree III-IV haemorrhoids.

A total of 122 patients with degree III and IV hemorrhoids were elected for surgical intervention and, randomly, underwent surgery for PPH or THD. We assessed the most common immediate postoperative complications. The patients have been followed for three months with a mean follow-up at 1 month and 3 months after surgery. Parameters taken into consideration were: bleeding, pain at rest and after evacuation, soiling, constipation and tenesmus.

Five patients in PPH group (7.9%) had a major postoperative bleeding, whereas no such episode occurred in THD group (P=ns). In percentage terms, VAS score was lower in THD group than in PPH group, although the difference was not statistically significant. Finally parameters values observed, during the follow-up, proved to be lower for THD group compared to PPH group.

PPH and THD are two surgical treatments for degree III and IV haemorrhoids with low perioperative complications and good results in the short term. However, our experience shows that better results in terms of pain and fewer postoperative complications are obtained after THD surgery, such surgery is less invasive and more adaptable to the needs of day surgery.