Stapled Hemorrhoidopexy: Technique and Long Term Results.

Background: Stapled hemorrhoidopexy (Longo operation) is a infrequent technique in our area. A different concept from hemorrhoidectomy, a proportionally important raise in cost and a special training may have contributed to it. We report our long-term results with the standard technique. Methods: The data of 35 patients with symptomatic second- and third-degree hemorrhoids who had stapled hemorrhoidopexy using a PPH03 stapler, from 01 January 2012 to 04 December 2020, were retrospectively collected. The sex ratio male: female was 3:4 and the mean age 45 (range 28-60) years. The follow-up consisted in a rectal exam and evaluated anatomical recurrence or prolapse. Results: The mean operative time was 42 (30-70) min. The mean parenteral analgesic doses during the first 24 h were 1,52. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 1.55 (1-2) days. A single patient needed reoperation for a staple line bleeding, two patients had a thrombosis of internal hemorrhoids and in one patient a small prolapse was diagnosed at 3 months follow-up. No hematoma, anastomotic stenosis, persistent anal pain, tenesmus, or impaired anal continence was recorded. One patient mentioned discomfort related to the presence of staples. Patients were followed-up for 6 (1-9) years. Global satisfaction rate was 94%. Conclusion: Stapled hemorrhoidopexy procedure is a safe and feasible procedure, which necessitates few analgesics and allows an early discharge. A rigorous selection of cases and a correct surgical technique allow to obtain good long-term results and offer a high level of patients satisfaction.

Ethical considerations in bariatric surgery in a developing country.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity is the fastest growing health problem worldwide. Ethical issues linked to obesity are numerous and still under debate even in countries with a long history in obesity treatment. METHODS: From 2007 to 2015 we performed several types of bariatric surgical approaches on 250 patients with an average body mass index (BMI) of 42. The age range was 12-64 years. No death was recorded. Direct or phone contact was possible with 90% of them during follow-up. Starting from a specific question based approach in ethics we present aspects regarding obesity surgery in Romania. Patients' safety, informed consent, cost cover, the role of bariatric surgery in children and bariatric surgeons' training are discussed. RESULTS: Co-morbidities improved or even disappeared in 90% of our patients. Informed consent is a major problem, due to the lack of public knowledge necessary. The private system in Romania offers bariatric surgery at lower prices than Western Europe but is still out of reach for a person with an average income. Lack of maturity and disharmonic family relations raise a series of challenges in assessing the best interest of children and adolescents. Ethics committees, which operate according to well-defined processes, are more and more active in universities and research centers in Romania, checking that methods and performance of scientific studies meet adequate standards. CONCLUSIONS: A detailed informed consent, thorough preoperative patient assessment and method selection are mandatory for good results in obesity surgery. Insufficient financial resources combined with the long time necessary to acquire the expertise for laparoscopic bariatric surgery may represent an additional pressure on both physicians and patients.