Aim: Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy (MM) is still the most common treatment for grades III and IV hemorrhoids despite prolonged post-operative anal pain and wound healing. This multicenter, double blind, randomized, controlled trial was designed to assess the safety and the efficacy of anal wound cleansing with Triclosan (Proctocid®) in the control of symptoms and healing time after MM.
Methods: A total of 113 patients with grades III and IV hemorrhoids, undergoing open hemorroidectomy by diathermy or Ligasure vessel sealing device, were randomly assigned to Triclosan or sodium hypochlorite solution. All patients received analgesics and a fiber-rich diet after hemorrhoidectomy. Postoperative anal pain, bleeding and/or secretion and itch were assessed 7, 14 and 21 days after hemorrhoidectomy by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the day of complete re-epithelialization of anal wounds was recorded.
Results: Fifty-five patients were randomized for Triclosan treatment and 58 for the control drug. The two groups were comparable for demographics, severity of hemorrhoids and technique used for the hemorrhoidectomy. The comparison of days to get complete anal wound healing shows a trend of significance (P=0.05) for the Triclosan group. Bleeding and/or secretion, anal pain and itch were significantly better (P=0.003; P<0.0001 and P=0.01, respectively).
Conclusion: Triclosan solution for the treatment of post-hemorrhoidectomy wounds is safe and improves the control of post-operative symptoms and wound healing time compared to sodium hypochlorite.