Outpatient hemorrhoidectomy.

Fifty-three patients underwent closed hemorrhoidectomies on an outpatient basis at the Naval Hospital Bethesda, Bethesda, Maryland, and George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC. Our goal was to show that closed hemorrhoidectomies could be tolerated well in an outpatient setting. We found that patients tolerated this surgery well, and there was no progression of complications due to the out-of-hospital setting. An additional benefit is the cost savings to the patient who does not require an overnight hospitalization. Outpatient hemorrhoidectomy is a technique that can be effectively used in an ambulatory surgical setting with good patient tolerance and acceptance.