| Sumario: | Introduction: Haemorrhoidal Artery Ligation (HAL) +/- Recto-Anal Repair (RAR) is a minimally invasive surgical technique for all grades of hemorrhoidal disease. This paper reports on the results after ten years of follow-up. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the outcomes of 274 consecutive HAL or HALRAR procedures between January 2004 and August 2014, at Sint-Lucas General Hospital in Ghent, Belgium. Data was collected through a questionnaire and the patient records. All data was analyzed with SPSS 24.0. Results: The initial symptomatology was discomfort in daily life, anal blood loss, anal pain and hemorrhoidal prolapse. Before seeking medical treatment, 61.1% were symptomatic for years. Patients were treated by HAL or HALRAR. During a HAL procedure, a mean of 5 sutures were placed. For RAR, a mean of 2 mucopexies were performed. The majority (74.8%) was treated on a day-clinic basis. Mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for postoperative pain is 5.28. The postoperative complication rate was 11.3%, most frequently anal pain (3.6%), hemorrhoidal thrombosis (3.3%) and urinary retention (2.6%). Symptoms of hemorrhoidal disease decreased significantly after HAL or HALRAR, but 44.4% of patients needed further treatment. Satisfaction after HAL or HALRAR was 84.4%. Conclusion: These long-term results after HALRAR show a significant decrease in symptomatology and a high patient satisfaction but confirmed concerns about high recurrence rates. More prospective randomized trials are needed to evaluate long term results compared to other surgical techniques.
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