What are the treatment options for Anal Fistula?

An anal fistula can be described as a tunnel that is of small size that is going to connect a gland that is infected in the anus in order to open the skin that is circling the anus. There are some symptoms that will include swelling and pain around the anus. There are diagnosis and treatment options such as anal fistula surgery that need to be discussed.

The anus is the external opening through which the waste is going to exit the body. Inside the anus, there are a small number of glands that are going to make the mucus.

Sometimes, these glands are going to get clogged and then are going to get clogged and then will become infected which will lead to an abscess. Well, half of these abscesses are going to develop into the fistula.

Causes of the anal fistula?

The leading cause of the anal fistula is clogged anal glands and anal abscesses.

• Crohn’s diseases
• Radiation
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Trauma
• Tuberculosis
• Cancer
• Diverticulitis

Surgery is necessary in order to treat the anal fistula as they are not going to heal by themselves.

There are various kinds of procedures and the best option for you is going to depend on the position where the fistula is and whether it is a single channel or is branching off in different directions. There are times when you need to have an initial examination of the area under general anesthesia so that it can be determined what is the best treatment for you.

The surgeon is going to talk to you about the options that are available and which are most suitable for you. The anal fistula surgery is usually carried out under general anesthesia. There are many cases where it is not necessary to stay in the hospital afterward.

The main goal of the surgery is to heal the fistula while avoiding the sphincter muscles. These are the rings of the muscles that open and close the anus, which will potentially result in the loss of bowel control.

The main options are mentioned below:

Fistulotomy:

This is the most common kind of surgery for the anal fistula. The fistulotomy is going to include cutting down every inch of the fistula in order to open it up so it will fix it as well.

A fistulotomy is one of the best treatments for anal fistulas as it is the best for the fistulas which are not going into the sphincter muscles. The incontinence risk is very low in these cases.

If the surgeon is cutting a small portion of the sphincter muscle in the procedure, then they will make every attempt to reduce the risk of incontinence.

There are few cases where the incontinence risk is too high and thus, there may be another procedure that is going to be recommended instead.

Seton technique:

If your fistula is passing through the part of the anal sphincter muscles, then the surgeon might go for inserting the seton.

Well, a setonis generally a thread that is used surgically. It will be left inside the fistula for various weeks in order to keep it open. Well, this is going to allow it to heal and there will be no need for cutting the sphincter muscles.

Well, loose setons will also allow the fistula to drain but are not going to cue them. In order to fix a fistula, the tight seton might be used in order to go through the fistula steadily, this may require various procedures that the surgeon can discuss with you.

Procedure Of Advancement flap:

The Procedure of advancement flap is there your fistula is going through the anal sphincter muscles and has a fistulotomy that carries a high risk of incontinence.

This is going to involve cutting out the fistula. After that, it is going to cover the hole.

This has a lower success rate as compared to the fistulotomy but then it avoids the need to cut the sphincter muscles.

Laser surgery:

Well, emitting laser fiber treatment involves using a small laser beam in ode to seal the fistula. There are various uncertainties around how well it is going to work. Although there are no major safety concerns in this procedure.

LIFT procedure:

Well, the LIFT procedure is helpful through the sphincter muscle. This is where the fistulotomy is going to be very risky. During the treatment, a cut will be made on your skin that is just above the fistula. Then the sphincter muscles are will be moved away from it.

Then the fistula is going to get sealed from both sides and will cut open so that it can lie flat. This procedure has the most promising results.

These are the important anal fistula surgery procedures that you go for after having a consultation with your doctor.