Treatment Overview

Injection sclerotherapy is a medical procedure used to treat small internal hemorrhoids. This fixative procedure uses a chemical that scars the tissues and cuts off the hemorrhoids' blood supply.

The doctor injects the chemical into the vein within a hemorrhoid. The chemical causes the vein to harden and the hemorrhoid tissue to die. A scar forms in place of the hemorrhoid on the wall of the anal canal. The scar tissue, which is firm and thick, holds nearby tissue and veins in place so they don't bulge into the anal canal.

Why It Is Done

Doctors recommend injection sclerotherapy in cases where:

• Small hemorrhoids do not improve with home treatment.
• Internal hemorrhoids are too small to treat with rubber band ligation.
• You have persistent bleeding from hemorrhoids.
• You are older than age 70 or are in poor health and would not be a candidate for more invasive surgery.

How Well It Works

For small hemorrhoids, injection sclerotherapy relieves symptoms about as well as rubber band ligation. However, sclerotherapy does not work as well as ligation for large hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids often recur after injection sclerotherapy. Treatments can be repeated.