Comparing Rectal Artery Embolization and Surgery for Treatment of Bleeding Grade 2 and 3 Internal Hemorrhoids

Conditions

• Hemorrhoids Internal
• Hemorrhoids Second Degree
• Hemorrhoids Third Degree

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Rectal Artery Embolization — PROCEDURE
  A minimally invasive procedure in which a doctor uses imaging guidance to place a small catheter into an artery and injects embolization materials to block the blood vessels supplying the hemorrhoids. This reduces blood flow and helps shrink the hemorrhoids.
• Operative Hemorrhoidectomy — PROCEDURE
  A surgical procedure performed under anesthesia in which the surgeon removes or excises the hemorrhoidal tissue. This is the current standard treatment for severe hemorrhoids.

Study Details

This Phase II study will compare rectal artery embolization with operative hemorrhoidectomy in adults with symptomatic bleeding grade 2 and 3 internal hemorrhoids. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two treatments. The study will evaluate how each treatment affects quality of life, symptom improvement, bleeding control, recovery time, and treatment-related side effects. The main question this study is trying to answer is whether rectal artery embolization can provide better short-term quality of life compared with surgical hemorrhoidectomy one month after treatment. The study will also examine whether rectal artery embolization allows patients to return to work and normal activities sooner, reduces hemorrhoid-related bleeding, and has a different rate of treatment-related complications compared with surgery. A total of approximately 102 adult participants will be enrolled at a single academic medical center. The results of this study may help determine whether rectal artery embolization is an effective and less invasive alternative to surgical hemorrhoidectomy for the treatment of bleeding grade 2 and 3 internal hemorrhoids.

Key Dates

First listed

Sep 28, 2026

Start date

Oct 19, 2026

Status verified

Sep 2026

Primary completion

Oct 19, 2028

Completion

Oct 19, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment

102 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Rectal Artery Embolization
  Participants will undergo rectal artery embolization for the treatment of symptomatic bleeding Goligher grade 2 and 3 internal hemorrhoids.
• Active Comparator: Operative Hemorrhoidectomy
  Participants will undergo operative hemorrhoidectomy for the treatment of symptomatic bleeding Goligher grade 2 and 3 internal hemorrhoids.

Primary Outcome Measure

Quality of Life Following Treatment [ Time Frame: Baseline and 1 month after treatment ]

Locations (1)

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