Clinical trial NCT00617448: Ligasure Versus Diathermy Haemorrhoidectomy Under Local Anesthesia
Official title: Ligasure™ Versus Diathermy Haemorrhoidectomy Under Spinal or Local Anaesthesia With Ropivacaine. A Randomized Study With One Year Follow-up
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Hemorrhoids
Keywords: diathermy hemorrhoids
Ligasure
randomized controlled trial
Postoperative pain
Surgical Procedure, Ambulatory
Local Anesthesia
Safety procedure long term
Day Surgery
Lead sponsor: Hospital de Viladecans
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Fundacio per la recerca e investigació del Hospital de Viladecans
First posted: 2008-02-18
Enrollment: 81
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Maximum age (years): 90
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The objective of this prospective randomised trial was to compare the short- and long-term efficacy of conventional diathermy haemorrhoidectomy versus Ligasure™ diathermy, and to assess the short-term outcome of each procedure performed either under spinal anaesthesia or local anaesthesia with pudendal block with ropivacaine combined with intravenous sedation.

We think, Ligasure haemorrhoidectomy under local anesthesia can be performed as day-case procedure and with equal results at long-term than conventional diathermy (considered goal standar of haemorrhoidectomy).

Detailed description: Seventy-four consecutive patients with a long-standing history of symptomatic grade III or IV haemorrhoids were assigned randomly by means of a computer-generated list to conventional diathermy haemorrhoidectomy under spinal anaesthesia (group I); conventional diathermy haemorrhoidectomy with local anaesthesia combined with intravenous sedation (group II); Ligasure™ under spinal anaesthesia (group III) and Ligasure™ with local anaesthesia combined with intravenous sedation (group IV). Allocations were sealed in opaque numbered envelopes. All patients were operated on electively and by the same surgical team (two colorectal surgeons) and variables were collected after operation by an independent observer who was unaware of the operation performed.

The intraoperative time was measured. Intraoperative and early (within the first 48 h) postoperative complications associated with the surgical procedure and complications related to the anaesthetic technique (headache, vomiting, nausea, acute urinary retention, bleeding and hypotension) were recorded. A 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the intensity of pain, which was measured at 2, 6 and 24 hours postoperatively and during the first bowel movement. Seven days after surgery, patients were contacted by phone and the following data were recorded: VAS score at rest and during bowel movements, bleeding (categorised as 0 = none, 1 = occasional with defecation, 2 = with each defecation, 3 = with and without defecation) and pruritus (categorised as 0 = none, 1 = occasional, 2 = frequent) and tenesmus (categorised as 0 = none, 1 = occasional, 2 = frequent). These variables were collected at 4 and 12 months after operation by an independent observer who was unaware of the operation performed. Clinical evaluation at 1 year included relapse, continence according to the incontinence score system of Jorge and Wexner19, anal stenosis, presence of skin tags, patient's degree of satisfaction (where 0 corresponded to a unsatisfactory result and 10 an excellent result) and days of sick leave.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* patients with a long-standing history of symptomatic grade III or IV haemorrhoids

Exclusion Criteria:

* previous anal surgery, concomitant anal disease (fissure, fistula, incontinence and inflammatory bowel disease), use of anticoagulants or analgesics, known hypersensitivity to local anaesthetics and the inability to give written informed consent.

Primary outcomes:
measure: all cause morbility within the first 7 days after surgery (consequence of surgery and anesthesia) and results sintomatology since 12 months
timeFrame: at 2, 6, 24 horus, 7 days, 4 and 12 monts after surgery
Secondary outcomes:
measure: intraoperative time, postoperative complications, pain (VAS), bleeding, pruritus and tenemus, continence ( score system of Jorge and Wexner), anal stenosis, presence of skin tags, degree of satisfaction and days of sick leave.
timeFrame: Intraoperative, at 2,6,24 hours and 7 days after surgery and 4 and 12 monts after surgery
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Viladecans
country: Spain
facility: Hospital de Viladecans (Departement of surgery: coloproctology)
state: Barcelona
Study officials:
affiliation: Barcelona university of Medicine (Departement Ciencies Cliniques)
name: Pi F Siques, Professor
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Jayne DG, Botterill I, Ambrose NS, Brennan TG, Guillou PJ, O'Riordain DS. Randomized clinical trial of Ligasure versus conventional diathermy for day-case haemorrhoidectomy. Br J Surg. 2002 Apr;89(4):428-32. doi: 10.1046/j.0007-1323.2002.02056.x.
citation: Palazzo FF, Francis DL, Clifton MA. Randomized clinical trial of Ligasure versus open haemorrhoidectomy. Br J Surg. 2002 Feb;89(2):154-7. doi: 10.1046/j.0007-1323.2001.01993.x.
citation: Peters CJ, Botterill I, Ambrose NS, Hick D, Casey J, Jayne DG. Ligasure trademark vs conventional diathermy haemorrhoidectomy: long-term follow-up of a randomised clinical trial. Colorectal Dis. 2005 Jul;7(4):350-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2005.00817.x.
citation: Basdanis G, Papadopoulos VN, Michalopoulos A, Apostolidis S, Harlaftis N. Randomized clinical trial of stapled hemorrhoidectomy vs open with Ligasure for prolapsed piles. Surg Endosc. 2005 Feb;19(2):235-9. doi: 10.1007/s00464-004-9098-0. Epub 2004 Dec 2.
citation: Masoni L, La Torre F, Otti M, Pascarella G, Gasparrini M, Riso V, Cottini F, Montori A. [Hemorrhoidectomy with ropivacaine (Naropin) local anesthesia. Preliminary experience]. Minerva Chir. 2000 May;55(5):383-7. Italian.
citation: Lohsiriwat D, Lohsiriwat V. Outpatient hemorrhoidectomy under perianal anesthetics infiltration. J Med Assoc Thai. 2005 Dec;88(12):1821-4.
citation: Vinson-Bonnet B, Coltat JC, Fingerhut A, Bonnet F. Local infiltration with ropivacaine improves immediate postoperative pain control after hemorrhoidal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 2002 Jan;45(1):104-8. doi: 10.1007/s10350-004-6121-4.
citation: Kim J, Lee DS, Jang SM, Shim MC, Jee DL. The effect of pudendal block on voiding after hemorrhoidectomy. Dis Colon Rectum. 2005 Mar;48(3):518-23. doi: 10.1007/s10350-004-0798-2.
citation: Haveran LA, Sturrock PR, Sun MY, McDade J, Singla S, Paterson CA, Counihan TC. Simple harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy utilizing local anesthesia combined with intravenous sedation: a safe and rapid alternative to conventional hemorrhoidectomy. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2007 Jul;22(7):801-6. doi: 10.1007/s00384-006-0242-2. Epub 2006 Nov 22.