Effectiveness of Foam Sclerotherapy in Treatment of Symptomatic Haemorrhoidal Diseases at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India: A Prospective Interventional Study

Introduction: Haemorrhoids is a very common condition in patients presenting to surgery Outpatient Department (OPD) with complaints of bleeding per rectum. Injection Foam Sclerotherapy has been established as a safe, simple and effective non surgical modality in treatment of symptomatic grade 1 and 2 haemorrhoids. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of foam sclerotherapy as a treatment modality in patients suffering with symptomatic Grade I and II Haemorrhoidal diseases. Materials and Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted in General Surgery department of FH Medical College and Hospital, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India between April 2021 to September 2021. A total of 42 patients with complaints of bleeding per rectum, and who were diagnosed as a case of Grade I or II internal haemorrhoids were included. 3% Polidocanol was used as the sclerosing agent for sclerotherapy. Effectiveness of sclerotherapy was evaluated, parameters assessed were bleeding per rectum, pain and pruritis with regular follow-ups of the patients at specific intervals. Results: Among 42 patients 29 (69.05%) patients had grade I haemorrhoids while 13 (30.95%) presented as a case of grade II haemorrhoidal disease. Among the patients with grade I haemorrhoids, 82.76% (24/29) were treated successfully after a single session of foam sclerotherapy while 53.85% (7/13) of the patients with grade II haemorrhoids were symptomatically relieved after a single session. The success rate after 2nd session of sclerotherapy was 100% (29/29) in patients diagnosed as a case of grade I haemorrhoids comparing it to 69.23% (9/13) in those with grade II haemorrhoids. The overall cure rate for either grade of haemorrhoid after three sessions of therapy was 95.24% (40/42). Conclusion: This study reflects that 3% polidocanol when used as a sclerosant agent was found to be cheap, safe and effective, and first line treatment modality in grade I and II haemorrhoids that can be done on outpatient basis with minimal complication.