Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: HET Bipolar System: Validation of a New Minimally Invasive Outpatient Treatment for Symptomatic Hemorrhoids
Brief Summary:
Purpose: The current study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the HET™ Bipolar System (Medtronic, Boulder, CO) for the treatment of grade I-II hemorrhoids in a prospective pilot study. This device was evaluated retrospectively in a limited cohort of 23 patients previously.
Methods: Patients seen at a colorectal clinic in a single institution with grade I-II hemorrhoids are offered to participate in a prospective pilot trial. The HET device is a modified anoscope equipped with LED lighting, a tissue clamping mechanism and a bipolar energy source used to treat multiple hemorrhoidal columns in one sitting. Three columns of hemorrhoids are treated with 2 heat energy applications per column. The primary outcome is the treatment effect on hemorrhoid symptoms of bleeding, pain, prolapse, itching, and soiling. This is measured with a patient completed questionnaire documenting each symptom's frequency from 0 to 3 (i.e. 0 is < 1x/month; 3 is daily) before therapy and at 3 weeks and 6 month follow-up. Post-treatment pain scores were recorded using the visual analog scale (VAS).