1. Hemorrhoids Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Hemorrhoids Quiz!
3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Slideshow

Medical Author:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

Thomas P. Sokol, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Thomas P. Sokol, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Thomas P. Sokol, MD received his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in 1980. He went on to his general surgical residency at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center and then to the Carle Clinic/ University of Illinois for Fellowship Training in Colon and Rectal Surgery.

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In this Article

• What are hemorrhoids?
• What is stapled hemorrhoidectomy?
• Who is a good candidate for stapled hemorrhoidectomy?
• Pictures of stapled hemorrhoidectomy procedure
• What happens to the staples from a stapled hemorrhoidectomy?
• How long does stapled hemorrhoidectomy take?
• Find a local Surgeon in your town
• Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy Index

How long does stapled hemorrhoidectomy take?

Stapled hemorrhoidectomy is faster than traditional hemorrhoidectomy, taking approximately 30 minutes. It is associated with much less pain than traditional hemorrhoidectomy and patients usually return earlier to work. Patients often sense a fullness or pressure within the rectum as if they need to defecate, but this usually resolves within several days. The risks of stapled hemorrhoidectomy include bleeding, infection, anal fissuring (tearing of the lining of the anal canal), narrowing of the anal or rectal wall due to scarring, persistence of internal or external hemorrhoids, and, rarely, trauma to the rectal wall.

Stapled hemorrhoidectomy may be used to treat patients who have both internal and external hemorrhoids; however, it also is an option to combine a stapled hemorrhoidectomy to treat the internal hemorrhoids and a simple resection of the external hemorrhoids.