Aims: The objective of this study was to compare the perioperative, short-term, and long-term outcomes of stapled hemorrhoidectomy with Ferguson hemorrhoidectomy.
Materials and methods: The present meta-analysis pooled the effects of outcomes of a total 926 patients treated with stapled or Ferguson hemorrhoidectomy in five out of 122 screened for retrieval randomized controlled trials using the fixed-effects or a random-effects model.
Results: Stapled hemorroidectomy was equivalent to the Ferguson procedure in comparisons pertaining to the following outcomes: hospital stay, postoperative hemorrhage requiring intervention, early postoperative bleeding <4 weeks, late postoperative bleeding <8 weeks, and the presence of anal pathology at 1 year follow-up. Stapled hemorrhoidectomy was superior with impact to operative time, pain visual analogue scale score at 24 h, urinary retention, and wound healing.
Conclusions: There is convincingly apparent evidence about the safety and efficacy of stapled hemorrhoidectomy in the comparison with the well-established Ferguson procedure.