Laser is a useful tool in treating many diseases, including hemorrhoids. It is used to destroy tissues – if wide beam is used, laser can be used to destroy large swath of tissues whereas if a narrow beam is used, then it can be used as a cutting tool.

The best type of laser is nd-YAG laser, which stands for neodymium-Yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser, although other types such as argon and CO2 lasers are also popularly used.

Advantages of using Laser

Using laser instead of scalpel has several advantages, namely:

1. There is no smoke, steam emission, or sparking that can obstruct the doctor’s view during surgery
2. Tissue cut with laser tends not to bleed – laser “seals” the blood vessels it cuts, so there’s little blood.
3. There is little damage to surrounding tissue cut with laser, thus lessening the chance of complication from tissue death (or necrosis) surrounding the cut tissue.

The first two helps the surgeon conduct a clean & precise surgery, whereas the last item is supposed to help the wound heal faster.

Disadvantages to Laser

Laser surgery, however, also has its disadvantages:

1. Laser equipment is expensive to buy and maintain.
2. Special protective goggles must be used by the doctor and the surgical staff – as, unlike in the movies, laser beams are invisible.
3. Less expensive methods of preventing bleeding, such as the use of a solution of adrenaline, works just as well.
4. Increased risk of fire during operation

In hemorrhoid surgery or hemorrhoidectomy, the use of laser as cutting tool does not seem to have overwhelming advantages. There is no evidence that laser hemorrhoidectomy is less painful, that patients heal faster, or that there are less chance of complications.

This does not mean that using laser is a sub-standard method – on the contrary, it is a fine surgical tool – however, the lack of advantages coupled with higher cost suggest that other (cheaper) methods of hemorrhoid surgeries should be considered instead.