Healing of a bleeding solitary rectal ulcer with multiple sessions of argon plasma.

BACKGROUND: Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is an uncommon disorder of evacuation. Management of bleeding ulcers is usually unsatisfactory with conventional treatments. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) has been reported in case reports to control bleeding; however, it has not been shown to result in ulcer healing.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of APC in controlling bleeding from SRUS and to study its efficacy in eventual healing of ulcers.

DESIGN: A randomized, controlled trial of the management of 24 consecutive patients with SRUS.

SETTING: The gastroenterology unit at 2 tertiary care hospitals.

PATIENTS: Twenty-four patients with bleeding SRUS.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Control of bleeding and endoscopic healing of SRUS.

METHODS: Twenty-four patients with bleeding SRUS, whose diagnoses were based on clinical, colonoscopic, and histologic findings, were randomized to receive either standard care only (12 patients, biofeedback therapy [BT] group) or multiple sessions of APC in addition to BT (12 patients, APC group). All patients were advised to intake a high level of fluids and fibers, laxatives, biofeedback, and behavior modification therapy in addition to the treatment. Patients were followed to determine whether ulcers healed.

RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with symptoms that lasted 12.6 +/- 4.8 months were included. Bleeding was controlled in all 12 patients in the APC group, but only in 5 of 12 patients in BT group. We also made the following observations about healing of the ulcers: 8 of 12 patients in the APC group had complete healing of their ulcers after 4 to 8 sessions, whereas in the BT group, ulcers healed in only 2 of 12 patients.

CONCLUSIONS: APC controls the bleeding in patients with SRUS and also improves the healing of these ulcers.