What are the advantages and disadvantages of Laser Surgery for Piles

Piles or Hemorrhoids are a result of swollen blood vessels and/or tissues at the bottom of rectum. Anal region is full of glands, tissues, nerve endings and blood vessels. When excess amount of pressure is laid in the area due to diarrhoea, constipation, lifting heavy weights or due to any other reason, it can result in formation of piles. Piles are categorized as internal and external depending on the place of their growth. Internal piles form on the inner lining of the anus and rectum while external piles can be seen around the anus. Mild piles may not show any symptoms but in most cases piles cause itching, irritation, pain, inflammation of the area and even blood.

Learn more about piles and symptoms of the piles by visiting our blog.

How are piles treated?

There are various non surgical and surgical methods to treat piles. Rubber band ligation, freezing of piles or cutting them off with energy beam are some of the options. The latest method of treating piles is ‘Treatment of piles using laser technology’. This is an advanced technology and Dr. Karthik Gunasekaran, one of Chennai’s most experienced Piles surgeon was quick to adopt the laser treatment for his patients at The Chennai Laser Gastroenterology Clinic, Chennai.

Advantages of Laser Piles Surgery

There are several benefits of treating piles with laser surgery compared to other conventional incision based methods. They include:

1. Minimal Blood loss– A very important aspect when any surgery is performed is loss of blood during the operation. Using laser, when the piles are cut, the beam also seals partially the blood tissues and vessels resulting in less (actually very less) blood loss. Some doctors claim that the blood loss is nearly negligible.  When the cut is sealed (at least partially), the chances of infection goes down by several times.
2. Minimal Pain– Laser cutting typically is less painful compared to incisions made using a scalpel.  Though the surgery is done under local anesthesia, as the anesthesia wears off, patients can start feeling the pain. In case of laser surgery, the pain is a lot less.
3. Quickly done – Removal of piles using laser technology is relatively a quicker process than other surgical methods of removing piles. Typical surgery time for removing piles is around 30 minutes depending on the location and number of piles that are to be removed. The person will be allowed to go home soon after the surgery and would not require hospital stay.
4. Quick healing – Less blood loss, lower chances of infection, partially sealed tissues during the surgery lead to quick healing of the surgery area. Most of the times, people who underwent laser surgery for treatment of piles will be able to return to work after a week after the surgery. They can see how the quality of their life has returned so quickly post surgery.
5. Low chances of damaging other tissues – If the piles are operated by an experienced laser surgeon, the chances of damaging other tissues near the piles and in the spinchter muscles are very less. If the spinchter muscles are damaged for any reason, that can result in faecal incontinence and it will be like, bad has become worse.
6. Precision based treatment – Laser beam is so thin and precise, it is used in various industries including medical technology. An experienced urologist or a gastro surgeon can use laser just to remove only the bad part leaving (piles) the good part of the body intact.

Disadvantages of piles treatment with laser

Every coin has two sides.  Every technology has its good and bad. Similarly, laser treatment for piles also has its downside.

1. Though the surgery doesn’t take as long as conventional surgery, the technology aspect and the benefits push up the cost of laser treatment than other procedures. As the benefits outlay the possible complications post-op, laser treatment can still be considered affordable.
2. Using laser beams to treat diseases is no easy task. Each laser fiber will come only for a specific number of cases; hence spare laser fiber should be readily available.

Care at Chennai Laser Gastro

Know that piles are a very common problem affecting more than 50% of the population. You should talk to your doctor if you are suffering from any of the symptoms of piles and get the right treatment. If your surgeon suggests surgery as the last resort, just prefer laser surgery than any other conventional scalpel based surgery. We are sure that there are handfuls of laser surgeons to treat piles in Chennai with laser technology but should you need any appointment with our top urologist, Dr. Karthik Gunasekaran, all you need to do is to just call us at (+91 90928 49786) from 9am – 7pm to get your appointment. We offer the best laser piles treatment in Chennai, which is the safest and the most effective option to treat piles effectively.