Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22527920›Full record

Trial reportTechniques in coloproctology2012

A novel device reduces anal pain after rubber band ligation: a randomized controlled trial.

T J Lam, R J F Felt-Bersma

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Techniques in coloproctology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

T J LamDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. tj.lam@vumc.nl
R J F Felt-Bersma
Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnal pain is a well-known sequel of rubber band ligation (RBL). A plastic device, the anal cooler which can be frozen in a freezer, has been developed to reduce anal pain. It contains a mixture of glycols and has a minimum temperature of 4 °C. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of the anal cooler in pain relief after RBL.

methodsBetween 2009 and 2010, 100 patients who underwent RBL were prospectively randomized into an anal cooler group (n = 50) or a control group (n = 50). The anal cooler group was instructed to use the cooler when they had pain. All patients were asked to keep a pain diary (0 = no pain; 10 = extreme pain), and follow-up was performed after 3-6 weeks.

resultsIt was found that 24/50 patients (48 %) in the anal cooler group and 31/50 (62 %) in the control group needed oral analgesics (NS). In total, 36/50 patients (72 %) used the anal cooler. Of these, 9/36 patients (25 %) noticed improvement. Of the remaining 27/36 patients (75 %) who did not notice improvement, 5/36 patients (14 %) found the insertion of the cooler uncomfortable and 1/36 patients (3 %) experienced nausea. No complications occurred during or after the use of the cooler. The 14/50 patients (28 %), who did not use the cooler, had a lower post-banding pain score compared with patients who used the cooler (1.4 vs 6.4; P < 0.001).

conclusionsAlthough post-banding pain after RBL is usually mild, the anal cooler seems to relieve anal pain in 25 % of the patients who used the device.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnalgesicsCryotherapyFemaleHemorrhoidsHumansLigationMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementPostoperative PainYoung AdultAnalgesics

Identifiers

PMID22527920
PMCPMC3368112
OpenAlexW2045600044

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.