What to inject?

Figure 10: Phenol in Almond oil is commonly used for injection sclero-therpay

The agent most commonly used for injection sclerotherapy of haemorrhoids is 5% phenol in almond oil. This is also know as Gabriel's solution. Arachis oil may be used instead of almond oil if wished;

• The phenol acts as the agent that will cause inflammation and thrombosis of the vessels

• The oil (almond or arachis) keeps the phenol in solution and prevents it diffusing away from the site of injection.

The solution is viscous and it is conventional to use a wide bore plastic tube to draw up the solution instead of a needle. This prevents people stabbing themself with the needle and the solution is easier to draw up through the wide bore plastic tube.