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World J Gastrointest Surg. Sep 27, 2016; 8(9): 614-620
Published online Sep 27, 2016. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v8.i9.614
Rubber band ligation of hemorrhoids: A guide for complications
Andreia Albuquerque
Andreia Albuquerque, Department of Gastroenterology, Centro Hospitalar São João, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
Author contributions: Albuquerque A solely contributed to this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Andreia Albuquerque, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Centro Hospitalar São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal. a.albuquerque.dias@gmail.com
Telephone: +351-225-512100 Fax: +351-225-025766
Received: April 13, 2016
Peer-review started: April 18, 2016
First decision: May 19, 2016
Revised: June 25, 2016
Accepted: July 14, 2016
Article in press: July 18, 2016
Published online: September 27, 2016
Core Tip

Core tip: Rubber band ligation of hemorrhoids is a very effective non-surgical treatment for internal hemorrhoids. Different techniques were developed mainly to improve efficacy and safety. This is an overall safe procedure, although severe complications can occur, such as infections. It is very important to know these possible complications to reduce their risk and to allow early recognition and successful treatment.