Hemorrhoids Internal

The purpose of this clinical trial is to compare two standard of care non-surgical treatments for hemorrhoidal bleeding: hemorrhoidal artery embolization (HAE) versus rubber band ligation (RBL). Directly comparing these two methods may help to clarify which treatment is better for controlling hemorrhoidal bleeding, reducing symptoms, and improving patients' quality of life. HAE is a standard minimally invasive procedure to put tiny particles or coils into the blood vessel that feeds a hemorrhoid to block the blood flow (embolization). This involves using a catheter inserted into an artery, using twilight (conscious) sedation. RBL is a standard procedure that involves using small rubber bands around the base of the hemorrhoids to cut off blood flow, causing it to shrink or shrivel.

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between hemorrhoids and cough by assessing the symptoms, duration, and severity of cough in patients who will present to the general surgery outpatient clinic of Muğla Education and Research Hospital (MERH) with symptoms such as bleeding, pain, itching, fecal leakage, prolapse, and mucus discharge. These patients will be diagnosed with hemorrhoidal disease through rectal examination to detect anal pathology and will be graded according to mucosal prolapse. Our study will aim to determine whether cough is a predisposing factor for hemorrhoids by evaluating the presence, duration, and frequency of cough symptoms in patients with hemorrhoids. The study will be designed as a cross-sectional, analytical, and descriptive study. Between March 2025 and June 2025, patients with newly diagnosed hemorrhoids who will present to the MEAH General Surgery Outpatient Clinic will undergo physical examinations and will be assessed for cough symptoms. Evaluations will include height and weight measurements, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, the Cough Visual Analog Scale (VAS) questionnaire, duration of cough (categorized as acute if shorter than 4 weeks, or chronic if longer than 4 weeks), timing of cough (day, night, or all day), comorbidities (such as COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, interstitial lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and others), and smoking history (active, former, or never smoked). The primary endpoint will be to compare the relationship between the severity of hemorrhoids and the duration and frequency of cough in patients with both conditions. The secondary endpoint will be to compare the grade of hemorrhoids with comorbid chest diseases in these patients. The tertiary endpoint will be to compare the degree of hemorrhoids with the smoking history of patients who have both hemorrhoids and cough.

The SCI-Pex study is a multicenter, prospective, non-controlled investigation on PexyEazy®, a new device for treatment of hemorrhoids based on the mucopexy method. Mucopexy is a well established method where sutures are applied above the hemorrhoids. When knots are tied, the hemorrhoids are lifted inwards to their normal position, which makes them swell down and symptoms disappears. PexyEazy® perform a mukopexy in a semiautomatic, faster and easier way on awake patient in less than 10 minutes. The SCI-Pex study will evaluate the safety and performance of PexyEazy on 35 patients with hemorrhoids grade II and III with a follow-up after 1 week, 3 months and 1 years. Adverse events, pain and other complications will be recorded, quality of life and hemorrhoid symptom questionnaires and clinical examination after 3 months and 1 year will be monitored to evaluate the result after a PexyEazy® procedure.