A Detailed Study About Anal Fistula's Facts!

An Anal fistula (also known as fistula-in-ano) is a small tunnel that can develop between anal canal and the skin near the anus often resulting from an untreated or inadequately treated perianal abscess. No medicinal treatment shows complete cure of anal fistula except few conditions like tubercular fistula. Early surgery, short & straight fistula tract and anal fistula treatment with ksharasutra give promising results with high rate of success.

Fast facts on Anal fistula

• Essentially surgical intervention required.

• Recurrence is common.

• Should be planned for surgery as early as possible, late cases are mostly complicated.

• Anal fistula treatment with ksharasutra shows high rate of success.

What Causes Anal fistula?

• Abscess in buttock and/or around the anus.

• Long standing anal fissure.

• Traumatic injury to the perianal region.

• Tuberculosis.

• Crohn’s disease.

• AIDS.

• Not maintaining local hygiene.

What are the symptoms of Anal fistula?

• Discharging wound at perianal region or buttock which is repeatedly swelling, discharging some amount of pus and/or blood and resolving. The swelling is often associated with pain and fever.

• There may be single or multiple wounds.

• Passing of flatus through the tunnel like wound.

What are the must know facts about Anal fistula?

• Anal fistula is notoriously famous for its recurrence even after repeated surgery.

• An anal sphincter-sparing or minimal invasive surgery should always be the choice of patient as well as surgeon.

• Different surgical modalities are available for treatment of Anal fistula like fistulectomy, fistulotomy, video assisted anal fistula treatment, fistula treatment with laser, fistula plug, two-stage seton fistulotomy and multistage anal fistula treatment with ksharasutra, etc.

• Anal fistula treatment with ksharasutra (Ayurvedic) has shown the promising result with the lowest rate of reported recurrence and complications like incontinence of stool.

• Medicinal treatment is not considered as curative management except in few conditions like tuberculous fistula.