Proctoscopic Doppler ultrasound in diagnostics and treatment of bleeding hemorrhoids

PURPOSE: Endoscopic Doppler sonography is a relatively new technique in the diagnostics of intestinal hemorrhage. It has been used mainly for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers, but can also be utilized in the lower digestive tract. METHODS: In the study presented 80 patients with symptomatic hemorrhoids of first degree and previous hemorrhage were randomized in two groups. The 40 patients in Group A were examined by transproctoscopic Doppler ultrasound. After measuring the vessels depth, local injection treatment with 5 percent phenol almond oil followed. The patients in Group B had been given conventional sclerotherapy without the aid of Doppler investigation. The success of treatment was checked using Doppler sonographics six weeks later and the results were statistically compared. RESULTS: In the patients in Group A, the hemorrhoids proved to be totally eliminated in 93 percentvs.38 percent of the patients in Group B (P, 0.1 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Proctoscopic Doppler ultrasound is useful in the evaluation and sclerotherapy of symptomatic first-degree hemorrhoids.