Hemorrhoids

Diagnosis

External hemorrhoids can usually be detected by visual examination, while mild internal hemorrhoids require an anoscopy (use of a lighted instrument to view the anal canal and rectum). Prolapsed internal hemorrhoids can be detected by having the patient strain over the toilet.

It's important to rule out other disorders such as anal fissure or inflammatory bowel disease. Additional tests doctors might use to check for other disorders include:

• Proctoscopy. A lighted instrument is used to view the anal canal, rectum and lower portion of the colon
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy. A thin tube with a lighted camera inside the tip allows doctors to view the lining of the sigmoid colon as a magnified image on a television screen
• Colonoscopy. A thin tube with a lighted camera inside the tip allows doctors to view the entire large intestine (colon), and sometimes the very end of the small intestine, as a magnified image on a television screen