Effects of preparation-H on wound healing in the rectum of man.

The wound-healing property of Preparation-H, a widely used over-the-counter hemorrhoidal product was investigated in a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. Artificial ulcers were created in the rectum of 12 healthy male volunteers and the size of these ulcers followed until complete healing by visual examination on days 4, 8, 15, and 22. There were two groups of patients, one using placebo suppositories (placebo group) and another using Preparation-H (Preparation-H group). On day 8, biopsies were obtained from the edge of the ulcer in both groups to assess histological healing. On day 15, all the five subjects in the Preparation-H group had achieved complete healing of their rectal lesion, whereas only three of six subjects in the placebo group had done so. Although the difference in healing does not achieve statistical significance, it may be that with larger numbers of patients, Preparation-H could be shown to increase the rate of wound healing in artificially created rectal ulcers in man.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes