Rubber band ligation is a widely accepted treatment for internal hemorrhoids because it:
- Is easy and quick to perform.
- Can be performed in an office setting.
- Is relatively inexpensive.
HOW RUBBER BAND LIGATION WORKS
Rubber band ligation requires no invasive surgery. Instead, the hemorrhoid is pulled taut, away from the wall of the rectum, and a rubber band is placed over it. When secured around the base of the hemorrhoid, the band cuts off the blood supply.
The lack of blood flow causes the banded tissue to necrotize, and the “loose” mucosa re-fixes to the muscular wall of the rectum. The inflamed hemorrhoidal tissue then withers away within a few days.
A treatment session can target one to three hemorrhoids; if more symptomatic hemorrhoids than that require treatment, the patient should return after several weeks have passed to minimize discomfort. Over time, the hemorrhoidal cushions return to a normal size and configuration. Rubber band ligation can be performed again if hemorrhoidal symptoms recur.
THE PREFERABLE COURSE OF ACTION
The benefits of rubber band ligation make it the preferable treatment for internal hemorrhoids. These benefits include the following:
- Patients do not require bowel preparation, sedation, narcotics, or a long recovery period.
- Many patients experience a manageable, mild to moderate amount of pain, and the risk for complications is low.
- They can be on an outpatient basis.
SUCCESS RATES OF RUBBER BAND LIGATION
Most complications of hemorrhoid ligation are minor and self-limiting, meaning they would run their course without medical treatment According to the latest research, rubber band ligation shows short-term success rates up to 99% and long-term success rates up to 80%.
The most common complications with conventional rubber band ligation cited are pain (32%), vaso-vagal symptoms such as dizziness and fainting (1%), bleeding (1 to 5%), and external hemorrhoid thrombosis (2 to 3%). Some discomfort in the anal region may be felt for a few days and is usually relieved by sitz baths and analgesics.
THE NEXUS LIGATOR: BUILDING FROM A STRONG FOUNDATION
Rubber band ligation was first described by Dr. Paul C. Blaisdell in 1954 and modified by Dr. James Barron in 1963. Many now consider it the gold-standard treatment for hemorrhoids, as it is performed in up to 80 percent of patients with hemorrhoidalsymptoms.
While rubber band ligation has undergone limited change in the past 50 years, inx Medical’s Nexus Hemorrhoid Ligator defines a new phase in the evolution of this gold-standard modality.
