LigaSure® versus BiClamp®: ein Erfahrungsbericht zum Vergleich neuerer Diathermieverfahren bei Hämorrhoidektomien

Background and Purpose:It has been shown that hemorrhoidectomy with LigaSure ® , a single-use bipolar computer-guided diathermy system, is time-saving and effective in terms of hemostasis and reduced postoperative pain. BiClamp ® works in a similar fashion but can be reused and may therefore be more economical. This study compares both systems.Patients and Methods:Patients operated with BiClamp ® (n = 22, abortion of study) were compared with a control group of 25 patients (LigaSure ® ) from a previous study which has already been published. Both studies had identical designs and were performed in an identical clinical setting.Results:No differences between the two groups were found in operation time, hospital stay, patient satisfaction, postoperative pain score, and self-assessment of postoperative activity. By contrast, surgeon's assessment of immediate operative results and technical handling was significantly more favorable for LigaSure ® . Similarly, a trend toward more complications and higher analgesic requirements was recorded in the BiClamp ® group. Continuing technical difficulties with the BiClamp ® device led to a premature abortion of the study.Conclusion:A high degree of patient satisfaction was noted for both groups and both devices led to comparable results in most patient-related aspects investigated. However, in this study BiClamp ® used for hemorrhoidal surgery was more susceptible to severe technical dysfunction and, therefore, not equivalent to LigaSure ® .