Open vs. Closed Sphincterotomy for Surgical Treatment of Anal Fissures

There is currently no specific evidence regarding the exact etiology of anal fissures. However, various management options were reported and validated among the relevant research. Lateral internal sphincterotomy has been validated among relevant investigations in the literature as a valid modality for managing patients with chronic anal fissures. In the present literature review, we formulated evidence based on these studies to compare open and closed techniques of this surgery according to the reported outcomes. However, evidence regarding the superiority of either of the techniques over the other is not consistent among these investigations. For instance, some studies reported that closed sphincterotomy is more favorable than the open approach and should be considered the treatment choice for chronic anal fissures. This is because the technique is associated with less frequent rates of complications, less expensive, safe, and effective. On the other hand, many other relevant studies also demonstrated that the reported outcomes for the two modalities exhibited non-significant differences. Therefore, we suggest that researchers should furtherly conduct additional investigations before drawing any conclusions in this field.

The Effect of Anti-anxiety Medications on the Clinical Symptoms of Anal Fissure: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Fissure is a common chronic anorectal disease that causes symptoms such as pain, burning, bleeding, and psychiatric problems. One of the psychiatric complications is anxiety, which might be an etiologic factor or secondary to the disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 patients with anal fissure were randomly divided into two groups (80 patients treated with anti-anxiety medications along with standard anal fissure treatment and 80 patients with standard anal fissure treatment alone) after obtaining patient consent and demographic data. Then, the symptoms have recorded after treatment. Results: The results of our study indicated that the administration of anti-anxiety medications in patients with anal fissures relieved pain and anxiety scores among all patients. The anti-anxiety medications were more effective on patients younger than 40 years, men with less than two weeks duration of illness, and baseline anxiety greater than 26. Conclusion: A high prevalence of anal fissures affects the quality of life of patients. Besides the lack of effective treatment that shortens the pain and recovers patients faster, anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines can use along with standard anal fissure treatment to reduce pain and anxiety in patients with acute anal fissure.

Anocutaneous advancement flap provides a quicker cure than fissurectomy in surgical treatment for chronic anal fissure—a retrospective, observational study

Purpose Anocutaneous advancement flap is a surgical procedure for the treatment of chronic anal fissures. This study aimed to assess the results of anocutaneous advancement flap in a consecutive cohort of patients. Methods This is a retrospective, observational study. From 2000 to 2011, 481 patients had been operated for a single chronic anal fissure at the Maingau Clinic of the German Red Cross in Frankfurt am Main. The intention was to excise the fissure by fissurectomy (FIS) and then to cover the wound primarily with an anocutaneous advancement flap (AAF). The primary outcomes were resolution of symptoms and healing rates 1 month postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included incidences of early and late complications, postoperative incontinence, and recurrent fissure. Results Anocutaneous advancement flap was performed in 455 (94.6%). In 26 (5.4%) patients, AAF failed due to lacking skin and the wound left open after FIS. One month postoperatively, half of the patients with AAF were free of symptoms (53.2%) with complete wound healing (47.9%). The incidence of early complications within 1 month postoperatively was 0.9% after AAF. From 1 month to 5 years after operation anal abscesses and fistula occurred in 2.9%. Mild symptoms of anal incontinence were recorded in 0.2% and recurrent chronic anal fissure in 3.3% of patients. Subgroup analysis revealed improved wound healing 1 month postoperatively in patients with AAF compared to FIS. Conclusion Anocutaneous advancement flap is a very safe sphincter-sparing surgical option for CAF, provides a quicker cure than fissurectomy, and may be considered a good first-line surgical treatment option for chronic anal fissures if medical treatment failed.

Analgesic Effectiveness and Improvement in Quality of Life after Using Topical Sevoflurane for an Extremely Painful Anal Fissure

Painful anal fissures could be distressing conditions that severely impair the patients' quality of life. The analgesic effectiveness of topical drugs, such as calcium-antagonists and nitrates is quite variable. The inhalational anesthetic sevoflurane is being repurposed as a topical analgesic for painful chronic wounds. We report a pioneer experience treating a painful chronic anal fissure with topical sevoflurane. A young adult male was suffering from an extremely painful chronic anal fissure, which severely affected his quality of life. The topical treatment with nitroglycerine and diltiazem gels failed. The patient agreed to the treatement with topical sevoflurane as an off-label medication, and it produced an immediate, intense, and long-lasting analgesic effect. An intense but rapidly transient burning sensation, as well as persistent but well-tolerated flatulence were the only adverse effects. The quality of life was greatly improved, and the cost of the treatment was affordable. Therefore, the off-label use of topical sevoflurane appears to be an effective alternative for the symptomatic treatment of painful anal fissures.