Research on the Efficacy and Mechanism of Shouhui Tongbian Capsules in Treating Postoperative Constipation of Benign Anal and Rectal Diseases Based on Gut Microbiota Analysis

July 21, 2026 updated by: Lihua Zheng, China-Japan Friendship Hospital

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether Shouhui Tongbian Capsule can improve postoperative constipation in adults aged 18 to 75 years after surgery for benign anorectal diseases, including hemorrhoids and anal fistula. The clinical trial will also evaluate the safety of Shouhui Tongbian Capsule and explore associations between treatment effects and changes in gut microbiota, metabolic profiles, and inflammatory indicators.

The main questions are:

Does Shouhui Tongbian Capsule improve constipation symptoms after benign anorectal surgery? Does Shouhui Tongbian Capsule reduce postoperative and defecation-related pain? Does Shouhui Tongbian Capsule improve quality of life and anorectal function? What adverse events occur during treatment? Are clinical improvements associated with changes in gut microbiota, metabolic profiles, or inflammatory indicators?

Researchers will compare Shouhui Tongbian Capsule with lactulose to evaluate differences in efficacy and safety for postoperative constipation.

Participants will:

Receive either Shouhui Tongbian Capsule three times daily or lactulose once daily for 14 days Complete assessments of constipation symptoms, pain, quality of life, and anorectal function Provide stool and blood samples before treatment and on Day 14 Attend assessments during treatment and approximately 1 month after surgery Report adverse events and other medical problems during participation

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

    • Chaoyang District
      • Beijing, Chaoyang District, China, 100029
        • China-Japan Friendship Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Surgical indication for a benign anorectal disease, including hemorrhoids or anal fistula Diagnosis of postoperative constipation after benign anorectal surgery Postoperative constipation symptoms such as difficulty defecating, reduced bowel movement frequency, hard or lumpy stools, incomplete evacuation, anorectal obstruction, or abdominal distension Ability to tolerate the planned anorectal surgical procedure without related contraindications Consciousness and ability to cooperate with treatment, follow-up, and questionnaire assessments Written informed consent provided by the participant or legally authorized representative Age 18 to 75 years, inclusive

Exclusion Criteria:

Severe systemic disease, including serious psychiatric or immune disorders Severe infection Malignant tumor Severe organic disease of a major organ, including the heart, liver, or kidneys Pregnancy Breastfeeding Postpartum period Coagulation dysfunction Other anorectal disease that may affect outcome assessment Known allergy to either study treatment or any treatment component Any other condition considered by the investigators to make participation unsuitable

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Shouhui Tongbian Capsules Treatment Group
Participants assigned to the Shouhui Tongbian Capsule group will receive routine postoperative care together with oral Shouhui Tongbian Capsule for 14 consecutive days. The dose will be two capsules per administration, three times daily, taken with warm water approximately 30 minutes after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each capsule contains 0.35 g of the approved marketed product. During the treatment period, other laxatives, probiotics, Chinese herbal medicines, or drugs that may affect intestinal motility or gut microbiota will generally be prohibited unless clinically necessary. Medication use, treatment adherence, drug dispensing, returns, adverse events, and any rescue treatment will be recorded throughout the study.
Active Comparator: Lactulose Oral Solution Control Group
Participants assigned to the lactulose group will receive routine postoperative care together with lactulose oral solution for 14 consecutive days. Lactulose will be administered orally at a dose of 15 mL once daily in the morning. Participants will receive both verbal and written instructions on the dose, administration method, and treatment schedule. During the study, other laxatives, probiotics, Chinese herbal medicines, or medications that may affect intestinal motility or gut microbiota will generally be prohibited unless clinically necessary. Treatment adherence, concomitant medications, adverse events, and any rescue treatment for severe constipation, pain, or postoperative discomfort will be recorded in the case report form.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms Total Score From Baseline to Day 14
Time Frame: From baseline before treatment to the end of treatment on Day 14.
The Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms questionnaire is a 12-item participant-reported measure used to assess the severity of constipation symptoms. The questionnaire includes four abdominal symptom items, three rectal symptom items, and five stool symptom items. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 0 to 4, where 0 indicates "absent," 1 indicates "mild," 2 indicates "moderate," 3 indicates "severe," and 4 indicates "very severe." The overall score is calculated as the mean of the completed item scores and ranges from 0 to 4. Higher scores indicate more severe constipation symptoms. The questionnaire will be completed before treatment and on Day 14. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Day 14 score minus the baseline score; a larger negative change indicates greater improvement.
From baseline before treatment to the end of treatment on Day 14.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 21, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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