Rubber Band Ligation Replacing Surgery.

More than 90% of cases of hemorrhoids can be treated successfully without surgery in a surgeon's office or clinic, and rubber band ligation is the preferred treatment for internal hemorrhoids, says rectal surgeon Eugene P. Salvati, Plainfield, N.J. Hemorrhoids--enlarged, bulging blood vessels in and about the anus and lower rectum--are among the most common ailments known to mankind and will affect more than half the population, usually after age 30. No single cause is known, but increasing fiber in the diet and reducing straining usually will palliate mild symptoms.

Because hemorrhoids can cause such widespread discomfort, many treatments have been proposed over the years, beginning with injection of phenol in oil, which was discussed more than 100 years ago. Other treatments have included dilation of the anus, cryotherapy (freezing hemorrhoids with liquid nitrogen), infrared coagulation (applying radiation from a 14-volt Wolfram halogen...