Efficacy of 10 % Sucralfate Ointment in the Reduction of Acute Postoperative Pain After Open Hemorrhoidectomy: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of 10 % sucralfate ointment in the reduction of acute postoperative pain after open hemorrhoidectomy. Methods A total of 48 patients (24 men and 24 women) between 20 and 70 years of age who underwent open hemorrhoidectomy were included in this prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial and were randomly divided into two groups (24 in each group), receiving either sucralfate ointment or placebo immediately after surgery and then every 12 h for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was pain intensity measured by a visual analogue scale at different time points after hemorrhoidectomy. Results The sucralfate group had significantly less pain than the placebo group at 24th h and the 48th h after hemorrhoidectomy (4 ± 1.14 vs 5.08 ± 0.97; P = 0.001 and 3 ± 0.72 vs 4.41 ± 0.8; P