Our view on fissure healing should be verified

Identifying the best therapy for chronic anal fissure

Chronic anal fissure (CAF) is a painful tear or crack which occurs in the anoderm. The optimal algorithm of therapy for CAF is still debated. Lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) is a surgical treatment, considered as the ‘gold standard’ therapy for CAF. It relieves CAF symptoms with a high rate of healing. Chemical sphincterotomy (CS) with nitrates, calcium blockers or botulinum toxin (BTX) is safe, with the rapid relief of pain, mild side-effects and no risk of surgery or anesthesia, but is a statistically less effective therapy for CAF than LIS. This article considers if aggressive treatment should only be offered to patients who fail pharmacological sphincterotomy. Aspects of anal fissure etiology, epidemiology and pathophysiology are considered with their meaning for further management of CAF. A molecular model of chemical interdependence significant for the chemistry of CAF healing is examined. Its application may influence the development of optimal therapy for CAF. BTX is currently considered the most effective type of CS and discussion in this article scrutinizes this method specifically. Although the effectiveness of BTX vs. LIS has been discussed, the essential focus of the article concerns identifying the best therapy application for anal fissure. Elements are presented which may help us to predict CAF healing. They provide rationale for the expansion of the CAF therapy algorithm. Ethical and economic factors are also considered in brief. As long as the patient is willing to accept the potential risk of fecal incontinence, we have grounds for the ‘gold standard’ (LIS) as the first-line treatment for CAF. We conclude that, when the diagnosis of the anal fissure is established, CS should be considered for both ethical and economic reasons. The author is convinced that a greater understanding and recognition of benign anal disorders by the GP and a proactive involvement at the point of initial diagnosis would facilitate the consideration of CS at an earlier, more practical stage with improved outcomes for the patient.

Keyhole deformity: a case series

OBJECTIVE

Keyhole deformity is frequently encountered after posterior internal sphincterotomy but may be observed after lateral internal sphincterotomy or in patients without any history of previous anal surgery. The aim of the present study is to emphasize the surgical significance of this entity and discuss the possible strategies in the treatment of the deformity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients in whom keyhole deformity developed after surgical or conservative treatment applied for chronic anal fissure in our clinic and patients referred from other centers were recruited.

RESULTS

Nine-hundred twenty-six patients were treated for chronic anal fissure. A hundred of these patients directly underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy. The remaining 826 patients initially received conservative management, and 676 of them eventually underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy. In total, 15 patients were diagnosed to have significant keyhole deformity. Initially, all patients received conservative treatment for keyhole deformity, which was successful in two patients. Of the 13 patients in whom conservative management failed, nine underwent advancement flap reconstruction and the remaining four diamond flap reconstruction.

CONCLUSION

Keyhole deformity is occasionally seen as a late complication of chronic anal fissure and may be well tolerated by the patients without any well-defined symptoms. The treatment strategy is directed toward the degree of functional alteration.