The result is less discomfort, less medication, and faster healing. A hospital stay is generally not required. The laser is inherently therapeutic, sealing off nerves and tiny blood vessels with an invisible light. By sealing superficial nerve endings patients have a minimum of postoperative discomfort. With the closing of tiny blood vessels, your proctologist is able to operate in a controlled and bloodless environment.
Procedures can often be completed more quickly and with less difficulty for both patient and physician. Laser can be use alone or in combination with other modalities. For more detailed information on combining modalities in surgery, view our video on the performance of both a Laser & Harmonic Scalpel Hemorrhoidectomy.
In a documented study of 750 patients undergoing laser treatment for hemorrhoids, 98% successful results were reported. The patient satisfaction was 99%.
Laser is a useful tool in treating many diseases, including hemorrhoids. It is used to destroy tissues – if wide beam is used, laser can be used to destroy large swath of tissues whereas if a narrow beam is used, then it can be used as a cutting tool.
The best type of laser is nd-YAG laser, which stands for neodymium-Yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser, although other types such as argon and CO2 lasers are also popularly used.
Advantages of using Laser
Using laser instead of scalpel has several advantages, namely:
1. There is no smoke, steam emission, or sparking that can obstruct the doctor’s view during surgery
2. Tissue cut with laser tends not to bleed – laser “seals” the blood vessels it cuts, so there’s little blood.
3. There is little damage to surrounding tissue cut with laser, thus lessening the chance of complication from tissue death (or necrosis) surrounding the cut tissue.
The first two helps the surgeon conduct a clean & precise surgery, whereas the last item is supposed to help the wound heal faster.
Disadvantages to Laser
Laser surgery, however, also has its disadvantages:
1. Laser equipment is expensive to buy and maintain.
2. Special protective goggles must be used by the doctor and the surgical staff – as, unlike in the movies, laser beams are invisible.
3. Less expensive methods of preventing bleeding, such as the use of a solution of adrenaline, works just as well.
4. Increased risk of fire during operation
In hemorrhoid surgery or hemorrhoidectomy, the use of laser as cutting tool does not seem to have overwhelming advantages. There is no evidence that laser hemorrhoidectomy is less painful, that patients heal faster, or that there are less chance of complications.
This does not mean that using laser is a sub-standard method – on the contrary, it is a fine surgical tool – however, the lack of advantages coupled with higher cost suggest that other (cheaper) methods of hemorrhoid surgeries should be considered instead.
Hemorrhoids laser surgery isn't more dangerous than scalpel surgery.
The risks, pain and healing are about equal both ways. Each has some unique risks inherent to the tool used.Scalpels can accidentally cut something they're not supposed to and lasers can cause deep tissue burns if poorly aimed.
The inherent risk really does come down to the doctor's qualifications.
Pick a hemorrhoids laser surgeon you're completely comfortable with.
The best way to do this is to consult with your family doctor. General practitioners often know many of the doctors in their local area and can help you pick a surgeon who has excellent qualifications and with whom you'll get along well.If your general practitioner doesn't know of a well-qualified surgeon who can do hemorrhoids laser surgery in your area, you may want to ask a specialist.
Some general practitioners will send patients with severe hemorrhoids to a proctologist before a surgeon. The reason is because a proctologist specializes in the anorectal canal and can often make a more accurate diagnosis.
If you've been seeing a proctologist you like and trust, he or she will know the best hemorrhoids surgeons in the area.
Once you've chosen a doctor to remove your hemorrhoids with laser surgery, make an appointment just to talk. You want a surgeon who is willing to discuss the procedure with you in entirety. You also want to make sure this is a person you can trust. After all, he or she will be aiming scalpels of light at one of your most sensitive areas.
Laser surgery isn't usually taught at medical school.
The doctors who specialize in it have taken private instruction in how to use the laser properly.Therefore, a degree from a highly respected medical school does not guarantee a surgeon's competence with laser surgery. It does guarantee their overall medical competence, which is always a plus, but a laser surgeon must have good laser surgery training and experience in the technique as well.
Laser surgeons also should be able to tell you how many procedures they've done, both successful and unsuccessful. They may not be able to give references you can call due to medical privacy laws, but they should give you statistics.
Laser surgery can temporarily or permanently discolor the skin of people with high melanin, including people of African, Asian and Hispanic descent. If you descend from one of these ethnic groups, check with the surgeon to make sure he's performed the technique on others of your ethnicity first.
