Endoscopic Band Ligation to Treat a Massive Hemorrhoidal Hemorrhage Following a Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Biopsy

Prostate cancer is commonly diagnosed by using a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy. Although this procedure is usually well tolerated, rarely it may be complicated by massive rectal bleeding. We report a case of a 77-year-old male who underwent a TRUS biopsy and subsequently developed recurrent episodes of rectal bleeding with syncope and anemia requiring the transfusion of multiple units of blood. A sigmoidoscopy revealed the source of the bleeding: a large hemorrhoid on the anterior wall of the rectum with an overlying ulceration. We successfully applied a band to ligate the hemorrhoid, and the patient's condition improved. To our knowledge, this case represents the first report of a successful band ligation to treat massive bleeding from a hemorrhoid that had been punctured in the course of the TRUS biopsy procedure.