Picking Up the Threads: Long-Term Outcomes of the Sutured Haemorrhoidopexy: A Retrospective Single-Centre Cohort Study

Background: This study aimed to assess the short- and long-term safety and efficacy of the sutured haemorrhoidopexy (SH) in patients with haemorrhoidal disease (HD). Methods: A retrospective study was performed, assessing the following treatment characteristics: number of sutures needed; operation time; perioperative complications; postoperative pain; hospital stay. The short- and long-term postoperative complications, HD recurrence and data on current HD symptoms were assessed according to the Core Outcome Set for HD. Results: Between January 2009 and December 2021, 149 patients with HD underwent a SH. One-hundred and forty-five patients were included, with a mean age of 61 years (+/- 12.8), of which 70 were women (48.3%). Patients were predominantly diagnosed with grade III (37.2%) HD and the median follow-up was nine years (5-11). Perioperative complications occurred in four cases (2.8%). In two patients (1.4%), short-term postoperative complications were reported, and in seven patients (6.2%), long-term complications were reported. The cumulative efficacy in terms of freedom of recurrence was 88.3% (95% CI, 83.1-93.5) at six months, 80.0% (95% CI, 73.5-86.5) at one year, and 67.7% (95% CI, 59.7-75.7) at five years. Conclusions: Sutured haemorrhoidopexy is a safe treatment for patients with HD and can be proposed as a minimally invasive surgical treatment if basic and outpatient procedures fail.