A 5–Year Follow-Up Study on Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treated with Infrared Coagulation

This prospective study aimed to evaluate early and long-term results of Infrared coagulation therapy in hemorrhoids. Between January 2017 and January 2022, 169 consecutive patients diagnosed with grades I to IV bleeding hemorrhoids were treated with infrared coagulation. Patients were evaluated in terms of post-procedure bleeding, soiling, pruritus, size of hemorrhoids, prolapse, number of applications required for different grades and recurrence. Bleeding in hemorrhoids subsided in one application only in 79.88% but 14.79% required two to three applications while 5.33% required emergency sealing. Soiling and pruritus subsided in three applications. Prolapse associated with grades III and IV hemorrhoids decreased after five applications and took 60 days after last IRC sitting (61.29%). Maximum number of applications required for grades I, II, III, and IV was 3, 5, 7, and 9, respectively. Overall failure rate was 7.1%. Recurrence rate was 4.14% with a mean period of recurrence being 2.6 years. In patients with bleeding hemorrhoids IRC can be used as a safe, effective and painless office or ambulatory procedure, having less post-procedure bleeding with 100% success rate in grades I and II and variable success rates of 64% and 50% in higher grades III and IV.