The vascular nature of hemorrhoids

Abstract

The arterial blood supply of the internal hemorrhoidal plexus is commonly believed to be associated with the pathogenesis of hemorrhoids. Ultrasound-supported proctoscopic techniques with Doppler-guided ligature of submucosal rectal arteries have been introduced for the therapy of hemorrhoids. The present investigation focuses on caliber and flow changes of the terminal branches of the superior rectal artery (SRA) supplying the corpus cavernosum recti (CCR) in patients with hemorrhoids. Forty-one outpatients (17 female, 24 male; mean age 48 years) with hemorrhoids of Goligher grades I-IV were compared with 17 healthy volunteers (nine female, eight male; mean age 29 years) by means of transperineal color Doppler ultrasound. The mean caliber of the arterial branches in the study group with hemorrhoids was 1.87 +/- 0.68 mm (range, 0.6 to 3.60 mm) and 0.92 +/- 0.15 mm (range, 0.6 to 1.2 mm) in the control group (P < 0.001). The arterial blood flow was significantly higher in patients with hemorrhoids than in the control group (mean 33.9 vs. 11.9 cm/second, P < 0.01). Our findings demonstrate that increased caliber and arterial blood flow of the terminal branches of the SRA are correlated with the appearance of hemorrhoids. We suggest that the hypervascularization of the anorectum contributes to the growth of hemorrhoids rather than being a consequence of hemorrhoids. Transperineal color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) is an appropriate method to assess these findings in patients with hemorrhoids.