Does choroidal thickness change in advanced hemorrhoids patients?

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted to examine the choroidal thickness of patients with grade 4 hemorrhoids to see if vascular abnormalities in hemorrhoid patients may affect other `parts of the body.

METHODS

51 patients diagnosed with grade 4 hemorrhoids in the last two years and 49 healthy volunteers were included. Choroidal evaluation was done by measurements from various points of the choroid using a spectral domain Cirrus HD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc.) in enhanced-depth imaging mode. Choroidal thicknesses were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Nasal choroidal thickness, temporal choroidal thickness and mean choroidal thickness measurements were significantly higher in the hemoroid group (p<0.05), while subfoveal choroidal thickness did not differ significantly between the groups. Macular thickness was also significantly higher in the hemoroid group compared to the control group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

There was an increase in choroidal thickness in patients with grade 4 hemorrhoids.

KEY WORDS: Choroidal thickness, Hemorrhoids, Macular thickness, Optical coherence tomography, Vascular pathologies.