Cryohaemorrhoidectomy-preliminary experience.

Twenty patients had their haemorrhoids treated by cryosurgery and were followed up for periods ranging from 6 to 18 months. The main advantages of this technique were that the periods of hospitalization and convalescence were short, reliance on an anesthetists was less, the major symptom of bleeding was eliminated and the period of postoperative discharge not as long as in other reported series. However, patients with third degree haemorrhoids tended to have a persistent skin tag and depigmentation of the perianal skin was not uncommon.