How to treat thrombosed external hemorrhoids

Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on September 15, 2024
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The treatment of thrombosed external hemorrhoids generally includes conservative medication or surgical treatment. Thrombosed external hemorrhoids are a clinical type of external hemorrhoids. They usually present in the acute phase with significant local pain and thrombus encapsulation within the hemorrhoid. Due to congestion and edema in the hemorrhoid, excessive pressure builds up inside, causing severe pain for the patient. Conservative medication treatment primarily involves sitz baths with hemorrhoidal wash solutions and hot compresses to promote thrombus absorption, as well as applying hemorrhoidal creams, or orally taking anti-swelling, pain-relieving, and thrombus-absorbing medications. If these methods repeatedly fail, surgery can be opted to strip and remove the local thrombus.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
1min home-news-image

The difference between mixed hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids

Both mixed hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids fall within the clinical scope of hemorrhoids. However, mixed hemorrhoids generally include external hemorrhoids, whereas external hemorrhoids consist simply of local skin tags or connective tissue-based external hemorrhoids near the anal region. In addition to the local external hemorrhoids, mixed hemorrhoids also have local mucosal protrusions around the dentate line inside the anal canal, which connect with the external hemorrhoids to form mixed hemorrhoids. Both mixed and external hemorrhoids are very common. Treatment options include conservative medication or surgical removal. The primary surgical method for mixed hemorrhoids is excision and ligation, while for external hemorrhoids, the primary method is excision. Post-surgery, it is necessary to disinfect and change dressings on the local wounds to promote further growth and healing.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Can thrombotic external hemorrhoids exercise?

During the acute flare-up of thrombotic external hemorrhoids, there is congestion and edema of the local anal cushion, and thrombosis forms within the local hemorrhoidal nucleus and mucosa. It is not advisable for patients to engage in excessive exercise, as this may aggravate the congestion of the local hemorrhoidal nucleus and worsen the condition of thrombotic hemorrhoids. Excessive exercise and friction may also lead to rupture of the thrombus, resulting in pain or infection. During an acute episode of thrombotic external hemorrhoids, patients may choose to use hemorrhoid wash solution for hot compresses to alleviate local symptoms. If the symptoms are severe or the thrombus is large, surgical removal may also be an option. Patients with thrombotic external hemorrhoids need to pay attention to the duration of defecation, mainly keeping it under ten minutes, because prolonged defecation or excessive straining during bowel movements can increase vascular pressure in the local hemorrhoidal nucleus, leading to thrombus formation.

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Written by Deng Heng
Colorectal Surgery
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Can external hemorrhoids be treated without surgery?

Some external hemorrhoids do not require surgical treatment, as they come in three types. The first type, connective tissue external hemorrhoids, mainly presents as a mild foreign body sensation, generally painless, thus surgery is not necessary. Varicose vein type external hemorrhoids typically cause a feeling of heaviness and discomfort around the anus, and if symptoms are not severe, surgery is not required either. Only thrombosed external hemorrhoids, which usually involve severe pain, may resolve significantly on their own within two to three days if the lump is not large. Surgery is only needed for large, thrombosed external hemorrhoids.

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Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
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Can external hemorrhoids heal by themselves?

External hemorrhoids can be classified into cutaneous flap hemorrhoids, varicose vein hemorrhoids, thrombotic hemorrhoids, and inflammatory hemorrhoids. These are mostly caused by poor defecation habits of the patient, such as prolonged defecation time or excessive straining during bowel movements, which then lead to the growth of excess skin flaps, varicose veins, or rupture of venous blood vessels, resulting in various types of external hemorrhoids. Therefore, these types of hemorrhoids cannot heal on their own and require treatment with medication or surgery. For cutaneous flap hemorrhoids, if the patient does not experience significant discomfort, specific treatment is generally not necessary, just attention to hygiene around the anal area is needed. However, for inflammatory or thrombotic hemorrhoids, since they can cause anal pain and a feeling of prolapse, it is advisable to opt for surgical stripping of the hemorrhoids as soon as possible. Post-surgery, treatments such as anal washes, red oil gauze strips, and golden ointment should be used for dressing changes, while also maintaining cleanliness of the anal region.

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Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
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How to relieve the pain of external hemorrhoids?

When there is pain in an external hemorrhoidal tag, it is often due to inflammatory edema or the formation of a thrombus, leading to pain. In such cases, it is advisable to first use an anal cleansing agent or a potassium permanganate solution for a sitz bath after defecation. The duration of the sitz bath should be controlled between five to ten minutes, which can effectively reduce swelling and relieve pain. After the sitz bath, applying external remedies such as Yellow Ointment or Musk Hemorrhoids Cream can also help reduce swelling and alleviate pain. For particularly severe pain, directly using diclofenac sodium suppositories inserted into the anus can provide anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Additionally, for external hemorrhoids with inflammatory edema, it is also necessary to combine this with oral diosmin tablets to relieve discomfort. However, if the external hemorrhoidal tag remains swollen for a long period or if the thrombus does not resolve, it is advisable to consider early surgical excision of the external hemorrhoids, followed by diligent postoperative dressing changes.