Abstract
Glycerin enemas, which are usually used for pre-surgical preparation, can cause hemolysis and/or hemoglobinuria. However, there is still a lack of scientific evidence that such hemolysis actually occurs in a clinical setting. In this study, therefore, I attempted to obtain empirical data on glycerin from such enemas passing into blood vessels through the surface of the colonic mucosa. The results demonstrated that glycerin from enemas did not enter the blood vessels of rats with no lesions in the colonic mucosa. Also, a study using rats that had slight lesions of the colonic mucosa clearly showed that glycerin did pass into blood vessels, causing biochemically confirmed hemolysis. The results of the experimental study confirmed that glycerin enemas can cause hemolysis in patients with slight lesions of the colonic mucosa. These findings suggest that in order to avoid hemoglobinuria, care should be taken with the use of glycerin enemas for clinical tests, and adequate assessment for a possible history of hemorrhoids should be conducted. In addition, careful observation should be carried out after treatment with glycerin enemas.
