A Hospital-Based Longitudinal Study of Rubber Band Ligation and Sclerotherapy Treatment for Internal Hemorrhoids From South India

Background Hemorrhoids are an extremely common surgical condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Treatment options for hemorrhoids vary depending on the severity of symptoms and the type of hemorrhoids. The common non-surgical procedures for grade one and two hemorrhoids include rubber band ligation and sclerotherapy. The present study aims to compare the efficiency of rubber band ligation and sclerotherapy for the treatment of symptomatic grade one and two internal hemorrhoids in a tertiary care hospital. Methodology We conducted a one-year longitudinal survey among 200 patients with internal hemorrhoids in a tertiary care center in Madurai. We gathered data on demographic profiles, symptoms, postoperative complications, intraoperative pain, and treatment outcomes. Data analysis was done using the Pearson chi-square test to assess the difference between rubber band ligation and sclerotherapy treatment groups. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 200 patients were studied, of whom 100 belonged to the rubber band ligation treatment group and 100 belonged to the sclerotherapy treatment group. The preoperative symptoms were similarly distributed between both treatment groups. Intraoperative and immediate postoperative pain was higher in the rubber band ligation group than in the sclerotherapy group. Post-procedure complications were more commonly seen in the rubber band ligation group than in the sclerotherapy group at various weeks of the procedures. Conclusions Postoperative complications such as bleeding, prolapse, and infection/discharge were significantly different between the two treatment groups. The treatment outcome was significantly different between the two treatment groups after three, six, and nine weeks postoperatively. Overall, the sclerotherapy group was associated with fewer postoperative complications, more excellent patient response, and a more complete response to treatment than the rubber band ligation group.