[Non-drug technologies in early rehabilitation of patients after hemorrhoidectomy]

Among all coloproctological diseases, hemorrhoids rank first among the reasons for visiting a proctologist. Its prevalence is 130-145 per 1.000 adults, and its proportion in the structure of colorectal diseases ranges from 34 to 41%. After hemorrhoidectomy, a long period of rehabilitation is necessary. There are long periods of incapacity for work (at least two weeks) and quite high complications rate, which generally leads to economic burden. Therefore, an urgent problem of current coloproctology and physiotherapy is the development of new approaches to medical rehabilitation of the patients after surgery for their fast recovery and prevention of complications.

To study effectiveness of comprehensive postoperative rehabilitation program including ozone therapy, laser therapy, recto-tibial myostimulation and biofeedback therapy in patients after hemorrhoidectomy.

The study included 90 patients 20-65 years of age (mean age 41.4±2.1years) with chronic stage III hemorrhoids with prominent external nodules (ICD-10 code: K64.2). All patients underwent Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy using an ultrasound scalpel by the same coloproctologist to exclude the influence of personality factors. The patients were assigned into two groups by random sampling. The main group consisted of 45 patients who received standard of care and the rehabilitation program, including intravenous ozone therapy, rectal laser therapy, recto-tibial myostimulation, and biofeedback therapy starting from the second day after the surgery. The control group consisted of 45 patients who received the same standard of care in the early postoperative period, including analgesics, local antibacterial ointments (Levomekol, etc.), and rectal suppositories (Relief Pro, etc.).

In the early postoperative period, in the patients who received non-drug rehabilitation program, the pain was significantly less intensive, and it relieved faster after surgery, which indicated a strong analgesic effect of the rehabilitation program. Patients in the control group received analgesics (including narcotic drugs) for pain control in 68.9% of cases. Duration of postoperative incapacity for work in the main group patients was 12.9±2.4 days vs. 24.1±2.3 days in the control group patients (p<0.001). The analysis of the quality of life in the early and the late postoperative period by SF-36 scale showed a significant difference between the groups according to the physical health component and psychological component both in the early and in the late postoperative period (after six months), which indicates the higher quality of life in the main group patients. Assessment of the late period quality of life using the I. Yu. Alimzhanova and Yu.M. Sheptunov questionnaire showed good results in 43 (95.6%) patients of the main group. Only in 2 (4.4%) main group patients, anal stenosis was observed. Good results were shown in 38 (84.58%) control group patients. Seven patients had complications: cicatricial anal stenosis (5 [11.1%] patients) and pararectal fistulas (2 [4.4%] patients); in 3 (42.9%) of these 7 patients a persistent pain syndrome was developed.

Introduction of the rehabilitation program in the early postoperative period after hemorrhoidectomy contributes to faster relief of pain and other signs and symptoms, a significant decrease of average postoperative wound healing time due to acceleration of adequate scar formation (according to ultrasound sonoelastography), improvement of life quality, reduction of hospital stay, a decrease of incapacity for work duration, and prevention of postoperative complications.