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World J Gastrointest Endosc. Mar 16, 2026; 18(3): 116697
Published online Mar 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i3.116697
Published online Mar 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i3.116697
Efficacy and safety of endoscopic sclerotherapy vs traditional surgery in the treatment of internal hemorrhoids: A meta-analysis
Si-Yi Wu, Ying-Shuang Chen, Xian-Hang Li, Teng-Jiang Yu, Fei Xie, Qing-Feng Jiang, Yong Lan, Ping He, Shi-Chao Li, Wu-Sheng Li, Wei-Dong Chen, Department of Anorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Shi-Chao Li, Wu-Sheng Li, Wei-Dong Chen, The Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Digestive System Diseases, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Si-Yi Wu and Ying-Shuang Chen.
Co-corresponding authors: Wu-Sheng Li and Wei-Dong Chen.
Author contributions: Li SC and Chen WD conceived and designed the study; Yu TJ, Xie F, Jiang QF and Lan Y searched the literature, extracted the data and performed the statistical analysis; Chen YS, Li SC, Wu SY and Li XH drafted the manuscript; He P, Li WS and Chen WD critically revised and gave final approval of the manuscript; Wu SY and Chen YS have made crucial and indispensable contributions towards the completion of the project and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper; Li WS and Chen WD have played important and indispensable roles in the experimental design, data interpretation and manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors.
Supported by Scientific Research Program of Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 2021MS360; and the Scientific Research Program of the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No. 2020XYLH-039.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Wei-Dong Chen, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Anorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Hongxing Street, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China. nxcz-2003@163.com
Received: November 18, 2025
Revised: December 6, 2025
Accepted: January 20, 2026
Published online: March 16, 2026
Processing time: 115 Days and 13.2 Hours
Revised: December 6, 2025
Accepted: January 20, 2026
Published online: March 16, 2026
Processing time: 115 Days and 13.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This is the first meta-analysis to compare endoscopic sclerotherapy (ES) with traditional surgery for the treatment of internal hemorrhoids. ES provided higher efficacy, fewer complications and lower costs, offering a minimally invasive alternative for grade I-III hemorrhoids.