A Review of the Success and Recurrence Rate of Hemorrhoids Following Rubber Band Ligation in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast Area of England

Introduction: Despite the existence of various operative and non-operative procedures to treat hemorrhoids, no standard treatment procedure for the disease exists to date. Rubber band ligation is a simple outpatient and easy to perform procedure to treat hemorrhoids, which can be done at the doctor’s office with no need for anesthesia and exceptionally minimal risk of complications. In this study, we report the efficacy of this technique among hemorrhoids patients in the in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast area of England. Materials & Methods: A retrospective case study involving ninety-eight symptomatic grade I, II and III hemorrhoids’ patients were conducted at Blackpool teaching hospital (NHS foundation trust), UK over a 3-year period. Electronic patients’ data were retrieved and analyzed for efficacy of the rubber band ligation procedure and recurrence of hemorrhoids, one year after the procedure. Results: Of the ninety-eight patients analyzed, 66 (67.3%) were males, and 32 (32.7%) were females. They had a mean (± SD) age of 53.6±15.0 years. Most of the patients, 87 (88.8%), presented with the primary symptom of rectal bleeding. Only 8 (8.2%) of the patients reported recurrence of hemorrhoids 6 months after the procedure, while 11 (11.2%) reported recurrence at 12 months after the procedure. Conclusion: In summary, it was an effective technique with only 11.2% recurrence rate 12 months after the procedure. Given its convenience and ease of performance, we believe it could be a useful technique for our setting. However, further studies, preferably prospective studies on larger number of patients and for longer duration will be required to establish its wider application. Our study reveals a significantly lower rate of recurrence in comparison to previously carried out studies and further emphasized that is safe and highly effective procedure We also noted a decreased rate of complications with only one patient requiring a readmission following the procedure, this in contrast to previous studies.