Haemorrhoids Treatment

Haemorrhoids (piles) Treatment at The London Clinic

Haemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swollen blood vessels inside or around the bottom (rectum and anus). Infection can cause pain resulting in itching and discomfort.

 At The London Clinic, we treat haemorrhoids according to their severity. In mild cases, topical medications and an improved diet can help to alleviate symptoms. In more severe cases, we can perform surgery to physically remove the haemorrhoids and repair any damaged tissue.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TREATMENT

Treatment for haemorrhoids depends on your specific circumstances. If, for example, you are pregnant, they should settle after you have given birth, so you will probably not need any treatment other than symptom control.

If you are constipated and need to strain, changing your diet and regularly using a laxative can help a lot. In most cases, your doctor will also advise lifestyle changes to prevent haemorrhoids in future. These include eating more fibre, fruit and vegetables in order to prevent constipation, as well as getting into the habit of going to the toilet as soon as possible when you feel the urge.
If the condition is more severe or is recurring, you may eventually need surgery.

Non-surgical treatments for haemorrhoids

If your haemorrhoids are not severe, your doctor may advise the following non-surgical treatments:

• Medication: while they will not make haemorrhoids go away, creams and suppositories can help to relieve symptoms such as pain or itching. Some haemorrhoid creams contain steroids, which help to reduce swelling as well as relieve symptoms, but you should not use these continuously for more than a week.

• Banding: if your haemorrhoids are more severe, your doctor may recommend banding, where a surgeon places a band in the rectum above the haemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply.  The entrapped tissue dies and shrinks. The area heals, eventually becoming scar tissue, tending to pull any remaining haemorrhoid back into the anus. Banding usually doesn’t need an anaesthetic, and most people can get back to their normal activities the next day.

• Injections (Sclerotherapy): A treatment called sclerotherapy may be used as an alternative to banding. During sclerotherapy, your doctor injects a chemical solution into the blood vessels in your back passage. This relieves pain by blocking off the blood vessels and causing the tissue to die. As with banding, the haemorrhoid should decrease in size or shrivel up and the remaining area heals over to form a scar.

treatment facts

Surgery may be recommended if other treatments for haemorrhoids hasn’t improved your condition, or if non-surgical treatments aren’t appropriate.  

If you have severe haemorrhoids, there are various surgical treatments described below:

• Conventional haemorrhoidectomy involves the haemorrhoids being surgically removed under general anaesthetic. Pain around the anus is common for a few days after the procedure. Your surgeon will gently open the anus so the haemorrhoids can be taken out. After carrying out a haemorrhoidectomy, there’s a 1 in 20 chance of the haemorrhoids coming back, which is lower than non-surgical treatments.
• Stapled haemorrhoidopexy or stapling  is an effective alternative to a conventional haemorrhoidectomy. The procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic. Your surgeon will staple your haemorrhoids to the wall of the anal canal, reducing their blood supply and makes them smaller. Compared with a conventional haemorrhoidectomy, this procedure has a shorter recovery time and less post-surgery anal pain but there is a bigger chance that the haemorrhoids may recur later.
• Haemorrhoidal artery ligation also known as HALO (Haemorrhoidal Artery Ligation Operation) or THD (Transanal Haemorrhoidal Dearterialisation). The procedure reduces the blood flow to your haemorrhoids. You will be put under general anaesthetic and your surgeon will use an ultrasound to identify arteries (blood vessels) supplying blood to a haemorrhoid. Stitches or sutures are sewn in to cut off this blood supply and shrink the haemorrhoids. 

Trade names quoted are given as examples only of the drug types described, alternatives may be available.