The Effect of Preoperative, Single Dose Steroid on Hemorrhoidectomy

Abstract Introduction The aim of our study is to observe the effect of preoperative, single, high dose (0.2mg/kg) dexamethasone in terms of postoperative pain, postoperative analgesic need and short-term complication development in patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. Methods In our hospital, between January 2023 and October 2023 who met the study criteria were included in the study. Demographic and operational information of the patients, VAS values, complications if developed, and the amount of analgesic used (mg) were examined retrospectively from prospectively filled examination forms. Patients who were administered preoperative dexamethasone were examined as group S, and patients who were not administered preoperative dexamethasone were examined as group P. Results A total of 160 patients, 99 in the P group and 61 in the S group, were included in the study. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age and removed hemorrhoidal packages (p > 0.05). Although no significant difference was observed in the preoperative VAS scores (p = 0.9) of the patients, postoperative (12th hour, 1st day and 5th day) VAS values were found to be statistically significantly lower in the S group (p < 0.001). When we looked at the analgesic usage amounts (mg) of the patients in the first 5 postoperative days, it was seen that a statistically significant small amount of analgesic was used in the S group (p < 0.001). When we compared the groups in terms of postoperative complications, no statistically significant difference was observed (p = 0.4). Conclusions Preoperative single high-dose steroid use can be safely applied in terms of pain control and less analgesic need after hemorrhoidectomy.