Single Session, Multiple Band Ligation for Haemorrhoids

Background: Single session, multiple Band Ligations (BL) for haemorrhoids has been practised in the UK for more than 40 years. It has been claimed that multiple BL in a single session can cause pain and discomfort [1]-[3], although this issue has not been formally assessed in the past. Our study was designed to examine this claim. Methods: Patients were randomly chosen for this study from rectal bleeding clinics and endoscopy lists. On diagnosis of haemorrhoids at proctoscopy these patients were offered, and treated with multiple BL. Results: 50 patients were treated with BL for 2nd and (the majority) 3rd degree haemorrhoids. All patients needed 2 - 3 haemorrhoids banded. 76% stated that they had no pain or discomfort, 14% complained of slight pain and 10% complained of very slight discomfort. 90% were successfully treated, and 97% stated that they would be prepared to undergo further treatment if necessary. Conclusion: Single session multiple haemorrhoids band ligations are a safe procedure which can be performed by surgeons in outpatient clinics with minimal discomfort for patients.