Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jan 29:2009:0415.

Haemorrhoids

George E Reese  1 , Alexander C von Roon, Paris P Tekkis
Affiliations

Haemorrhoids

George E Reese et al. BMJ Clin Evid. .

Abstract

Introduction: Haemorrhoids are cushions of submucosal vascular tissue located in the anal canal starting just distal to the dentate line. Incidence is difficult to ascertain as many people with the condition will never consult with a medical practitioner, although one study found 10 million people in the USA complaining of the disease.

Methods and outcomes: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for haemorrhoidal disease? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to May 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Results: We found 44 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

Conclusions: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: closed haemorrhoidectomy, haemorrhoidal artery ligation, infrared coagulation/photocoagulation, injection sclerotherapy, open excisional (Milligan-Morgan/diathermy) haemorrhoidectomy, radiofrequency ablation, rubber band ligation, and stapled haemorrhoidectomy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Thomson JPS, Leicester RJ, Smith LE. Haemorrhoids. In: Henry MM, Swash M (eds). Coloproctology and the pelvic floor. 2nd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann;1992:373–393.
    1. Rivadeneira DE, Steele SR, Ternent C, et al. Practice parameters for the management of haemorrhoids (revised 2010). Dis Colon Rectum 2011;54:1059–1064. - PubMed
    1. Riss S, Weiser FA, Schwameis K, et al. The prevalence of hemorrhoids in adults. Int J Colorectal Dis 2012:27:215–220. - PubMed
    1. Thomson WH. The nature of haemorrhoids. Br J Surg 1975;62:542–552. - PubMed
    1. Bursics A, Morvay K, Kupcsulik P, et al. Comparison of early and 1-year follow-up results of conventional hemorrhoidectomy and hemorrhoid artery ligation: a randomized study. Int J Colorectal Dis 2004;19:176–180. - PubMed

Publication types