{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nPolidocanol foam (PF) sclerotherapy has shown promising results in low- and intermediate-grade hemorrhoidal disease (HD), but evidence in advanced stages remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate patient-reported outcomes following PF sclerotherapy in patients with Goligher grade IV HD who declined surgical treatment.Methods\n\nThis retrospective analysis included patients with Goligher grade IV HD that declined hemorrhoidectomy after appropriate counseling and underwent 3% PF sclerotherapy between June and October 2025. Outcomes were assessed using symptom-focused subsets derived from the PROM-HISS and HDSS instruments at baseline, 7 days, 30 days, and 6 months. Primary outcome was the change in scores over time. Secondary outcomes included need for additional treatment, complications, and subsequent surgery.Results\n\nFifteen patients were included (mean age 58 ± 11 years; 53.3% male). At 6 months, 66.7% of patients requested no further hemorrhoidal treatment. Significant improvements were observed in both scores across all follow-up timepoints (p < 0.05). Pain, bleeding, and prolapse showed the most consistent reductions. One patient (6.7%) required hemorrhoidectomy within 30 days, four patients (26.7%) a second sclerotherapy session. No major complications were observed.Conclusions\n\nIn selected patients with Goligher grade IV HD who are unwilling or unfit to undergo surgery, PF sclerotherapy may be associated with short-term symptom improvement and may represent a symptom-oriented minimally invasive option for selected patients unwilling or unfit to undergo surgery.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of General Surgery, Azienda Sanitaria Locale ASL Lecce, Casarano, Italy.",
    "Colorectal Surgery Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute University, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.",
    "Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy. arcangelo.picciariello@unisalento.it.",
    "Department of Human Physiology, Laboratory of Biometry, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gianpiero Gravante"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Veronica De Simone"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Arcangelo Picciariello"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Roberto Sorge"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Pierpaolo Sileri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gaetano Gallo"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ht4pnpy63sdv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/s00384-026-05208-5",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13694370",
  "id": "4ht4pnpy63sdv",
  "issns": [
    "0179-1958",
    "1432-1262"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909517",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2746|Anorectal Disease Treatments and Outcomes"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7171544862",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13694370?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13694370",
  "pmid": "42909517",
  "published": "2026-07-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ht4pnpy63sdv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42909517",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909517"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2746|Anorectal Disease Treatments and Outcomes",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Polidocanol foam sclerotherapy for patients with Goligher grade IV hemorrhoidal disease unwilling to undergo surgery: preliminary outcomes from a retrospective study with 6-month follow-up.",
  "title_text": "Polidocanol foam sclerotherapy for patients with Goligher grade IV hemorrhoidal disease unwilling to undergo surgery: preliminary outcomes from a retrospective study with 6-month follow-up.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ht4pnpy63sdv",
  "venue": "International journal of colorectal disease",
  "versions": []
}