A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BARRON'S BANDING VERSUS SCLEROTHERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HAEMORRHOIDS

Haemorrhoid poses a surgical challenge in the anorectal region causing considerable discomfort and psychological distress to the patient. With the advent of non-surgical interventions, such as infrared coagulation and bipolar diathermy, the frequency of haemorrhoidectomies has declined. This study aims to compare the efcacy of sclerotherapy and rubber band ligation in managing haemorrhoids, focusing on post-operative complications and recurrence. Over one and half years, 100 haemorrhoid patients aged 19 to 66 years were enrolled in this study from a peripheral medical college in West Bengal, India. Patients underwent either Barron's banding or sclerotherapy with 5% phenol in olive oil. Post-operative outcomes were addressed at intervals, including pain, bleeding and infection at one week, four weeks and six months. Results revealed a signicant reduction in post-operative pain in patients treated with Barron's band ligation compared to sclerotherapy (p<0.003 at one week and p<0.001 at one month). Additionally, fewer cases of wound infection were observed in the banding group. Recurrence rates were signicantly higher in the sclerotherapy group at six months (p=0.03).