title: Value of an anal dilator after anal stretch for haemorrhoids.
abstract: A prospective randomized trial compared anal stretch with or without continued dilatation for three months in 89 consecutive patients with haemorrhoids. Complications of therapy occurred in only 4 patients, 3 of whom had transient incontinence of flatus. When patients were reviewed four months after treatment, only 4 of 44 patients (9%) who used a dilator had not been improved and required additional therapy, compared with 15 of 42 patients (36%) who had anal stretch alone (P less than 0.02). It is concluded that the use of an anal dilator improves the results of anal stretch.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000601:surgery*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004106:Dilatation; D005260:Female; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications