Hemorrhoidectomy Specimens: Necessity for Routine Pathologic Evaluation

Lee, Min Ro; Hong, Chang Won; Yoon, Sang Nam; Park, Kyu Joo

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the necessity for routine pathologic evaluation of hemorrhoidectomy specimens.
METHODS
Between March 1998 and February 2001, 280 patients (185 males, 95 females) underwent a hemorrhoidectomy at Seoul National University Hospital. All patients had grade III~IV hemorrhoids, and the mean age of the patients was 51 years (range: 21~74 years). All hemorrhoidectomy specimens were examined with a hematoxylin and eosin stain of one representative section by a pathologist. We performed a retrospective analysis regarding the pathologic results for the hemorrhoidectomy specimens.
RESULTS
Two hundred sixty-seven specimens (267, 95.4%) had typical hemorrhoids reported as external and internal hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoids, hemorrhoidal varices, and thrombi. Ten patients (10, 3.2%) had additional benign pathologes such as fibroepithelial polyps (6 cases), a flat condyloma (1 case), hypertrophied papillae with a condyloma, like papillomatosis and keratosis (1 case), dyskeratotic squamous cells with koilocytotic atypia (1 case), and an inflammatory polyp (1 case). Interestingly, three patients (3, 1.1%) had carcinomas in the hemorrhoidectomy specimens. Two patients had squamous- cell carcinomas; one suffered from delayed wound healing after a previous hemorrhoidectomy, and the other had indurated lesions on the hemorrhoids. One patients who had under gone a low anterior resection due to stage-C rectal cancer 7 months before had a adenocarcinoma.
CONCLUSIONS
Because of the possibility of unsuspected anal cancer, we recommend pathologic examination of hemorr hoidectomy specimens, especially in cases of suspected indurated lesions within the hemorrhoids, delayed wound healing after a previous hemorrhoidectomy, or previous history of colon cancer.