COMPLICATIONS OF HEMORRHOID SURGERY

1) Severe postoperative pain, lasting 2-3 weeks. This is mainly due to incisions of the anus and ligation of the vascular pedicles.

2) Wound infections are uncommon after hemorrhoid surgery. Abscess occurs in less than 1% of cases. Severe necrotizing infections are rare.

3) Postoperative bleeding.

4) Swelling of the skin bridges.

5) Major short-term incontinence.

6) Difficult urination. Possibly secondary to occult urinary retention, urinary tract infection develops in approximately 5% of patients after anorectal surgery. Limiting postoperative fluids may reduce the need for catheterization (from 15% to less than 4% in one study).

1) Anal stenosis.

2) Formation of skin tags.

3) Recurrence.

4) Anal fissure.

5) Minor incontinence.

6) Fecal impaction after a hemorrhoidectomy is associated with postoperative pain and narcotic use. Most surgeons recommend stimulant laxatives or stool softeners to prevent this problem. Removal of the impaction under anesthesia may be required.

7) Delayed hemorrhage, probably due to sloughing of the vascular pedicle, develops in 1 to 2 percent of patients. It usually occurs 7 to 16 days postoperatively. No specific treatment is effective for preventing this complication, which usually requires a return to the operating room for one or more stitches.

Before choosing the procedure you wish to have performed, there are questions you should ask the surgeon:

1. What types of procedures have they performed?

2. How many of each procedure have they performed?

3. Why are they recommending one particular procedure over another?

4. How long will the procedure take?

5. Will this procedure require a hospital stay, and how long do they anticipate your hospital stay will last?

6. How long do they expect the recovery process to take?

7. How soon will you be able to return to "normal" activity?

8. Will having the procedure mean having to change how I live, work or eat?