DGHAL or HALO is performed under general anaesthetic. This operation is designed to eradicate piles without the need for cutting. The operation uses a miniature ultrasound device to locate the blood vessels supplying the haemorrhoids. The aim of the operation is to cut off the blood supply to the haemorrhoids. This is achieved by placing a stitch around each blood vessel. Over the following few weeks to months, the piles shrink away and the symptoms resolve. Some pain is to be expected for several days after the operation and this is usual.

Occasionally, for bigger haemorrhoids the surgeon may suggest a modification of the HALO procedure called RAR (Rectoanal repair). This is where further stitches are used to draw up larger haemorrhoids which may prolapse or hang down through the anal canal. These stitches are then tied to the original stitch, thereby hitching the haemorrhoid back into position and thereby encouraging it to shrink and hold back into position up inside the anus. While this procedure works well, the hitched stitches do cause some pain in the aftermath of the operation and normally we would advise you to have two weeks off work. The pain is still usually a bit less and with a quicker recovery than the alternative, which is a conventional open operation.