SA is an effective treatment for patients with bleeding haemorrhoids and subsequent anaemia. In our experience, the success rate was satisfactory and there were no serious complications.

Objectives To know the influence of the stapled line height (SLH) in the recurrence rate and the postoperative disturbances in stapled anopexy (SA) for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Design Simple randomized double‐blind controlled clinical trial. Randomization with closed‐envelope technique in two groups with two different SLH. Setting Colorectal Surgery Unit. Department of General Surgery. Hospital de Mataró (Barcelona, Spain). Participants 119 patients with the diagnosis of symptomatic third‐ and fourth‐grade hemorrhoids were included. Intervention SA was performed with two different SLH: group A, 4.5 cm (58 patients) and group B, 6 cm (61 patients) from the external anal verge. Postoperative disturbances were evaluated by a colorectal surgeon who was blind for the randomization and pain was measured (visual analogic scale) one week and 3 months after surgery. Mean operative time, number of hemostatic stitches performed and resected mucosal area were considered as well. Mean follow‐up was 11.05 ± 1.6 years. Results Differences between the operative time and resected mucosa‐submucosa area were not found. The patients of group A needed a significantly higher number of stitches for intraoperative bleeding control along the stapled line. We did not found differences between both groups in terms of postoperative pain neither anorectal disturbances. At the follow‐up, persistence of symptomatology was 10.41% in group A and 10.71% in group B, without statistically significance. Neither mortality nor undesirable effects occurred in the series. Conclusions SLH do not influence the recurrence rate neither the postoperative evolution in SA. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT03383926.

Background The ligation of intersphincteric fistula fract (LIFT) technique avoids postoperative anal continence disturbances and preserves quality of life. Methods A total of 70 patients with anal fistula (AF) were treated in the Day Surgery Unit. The LIFT technique was the primary treatment in 63 patients. The other had previously undergone placement of a loose seton (two-step approach). The mean follow-up was 66.8 months. Statistical analysis was performed using contingency tables, the chi-square test, and the Student T-test. Results The use of LIFT was successful in 40 patients (57.1%). However, 6 patients (8.6%) presented persistence of postoperative intersphincteric fistula, being successfully treated by fistulotomy. There were no differences in this technique's success rate between high and low AF (p = 0.45). The success rate of one-step LIFT, however, was significantly higher (p = 0.03). No disturbances of continence were observed. Conclusions The LIFT technique has a role in the treatment of AF, is suitable for ambulatory surgery, and has a low complications rate. A two-step approach is not always needed.

No abstract