Ligation of Intersphincteric Fistulous Tract vs Endorectal Advancement Flap for High-Type Fistula in Ano: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Curing cryptoglandular anal fistulas-Is it possible without surgery?

Background

Empirical reviews suggested that cryptoglandular anal fistulas require surgical resolution. However, some reports have indicated the possibility of nonsurgical and conservative treatment, which is discussed in this review.

Methods

This review explores the potential of nonsurgical approaches for curing anal fistulas through bacterial inhibition and immunomodulation. The longstanding cryptoglandular theory has been a subject of controversy, prompting the reevaluation of conventional surgical interventions for anal fistulas. The review was conducted through database searches, including Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library.

Results

Emerging evidence suggests that targeting the anaerobic environments present in anal fistulas and perianal abscesses and eradicating bacteria and their by-products may be critical for successful treatment. Immunomodulatory strategies show promise as a potential avenue for the nonsurgical management of anal fistulas.

Conclusions

Ongoing developments in pharmacological research offer opportunities for alternative treatment options, shedding light on the prospects of noninvasive anal fistula management.

Efficacy of anal duct ligation and muscle closure: A novel sphincter-preserving surgical technique for fistula-in-ano

AIM

Although various sphincter-preserving techniques exist for treating anal fistulas, none have demonstrated clear superiority. Therefore, the aim of this study was to introduce a novel sphincter-preserving technique for anal duct ligation and muscle closure (ALMC) and analyse its perioperative outcomes.

METHOD

The data for patients who underwent ALMC for fistula-in-ano at Seoul Song Do Hospital between 2009 and 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, intraoperative information and postoperative outcomes were assessed. The main outcomes were recurrence and wound healing. Recurrence was defined as the presence of a fistula tract or discharge more than 12 weeks after the primary surgery after achieving complete healing. Faecal incontinence was also investigated clinically.

RESULTS

Overall, 556 patients (84.0% male; mean age 41.7 ± 12.3 years) underwent ALMC. Among these, 152 (27.3%) had a history of fistula surgery and 261 (46.9%) had suprasphincteric fistulas. Fistula-in-ano recurred in 33 patients (5.9%), wound healing was delayed in 97 (17.4%) and faecal incontinence was observed in 12 (2.2%). The mean follow-up duration was 10.0 ± 16.0 months, and the average duration until recurrence was 13.8 ± 10.7 months. The proportion of suprasphincteric fistulas was similar in those who experienced recurrence and those who did not (57.6% vs. 46.3%, respectively; p = 0.239). The proportion of suprasphincteric fistulas in the delayed wound healing group was slightly higher, although the differences were not statistically significant (56.7% vs. 44.9%, respectively; p = 0.054).

CONCLUSION

ALMC appeared to be a safe and feasible option for treating anal fistulas, providing good perioperative outcomes, particularly when sphincter preservation was crucial.

Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) for trans-sphincteric cryptoglandular anal fistula: long-term impact on faecal continence

BACKGROUND

The ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract is a surgical technique designed to treat trans-sphincteric anal fistulas aiming to preserve sphincter integrity. Recent studies suggest its efficacy in short-term fistula healing with limited impact on continence. However, comprehensive prospective data on long-term outcomes, including recurrence and bowel continence, are limited. The present study aims to report on the long-term functional outcomes.

METHODS

Patients who underwent the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract procedure for trans-sphincteric cryptoglandular anal fistulas between July 2012 and October 2018 at two Dutch referral centres were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome of interest was the long-term bowel continence after the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract procedure, using the faecal incontinence severity index. Short-term data (collected in 2018) and long-term data (collected in 2023) on bowel continence, healing rates and recurrences were obtained through electronic records and Rockwood questionnaires. Sankey diagrams were used to visually represent individual variations in continence status (preoperative versus follow-up).

RESULTS

Among 110 patients included (50% female, median follow-up 92 months), 101 patients (92%) were treated with previous surgeries (median 2, range 0-6) and 80% had previous seton drainage. Preligation of intersphincteric fistula tract, 16% of the patients reported incontinence (mean(s.d.) faecal incontinence severity index: 2.4(7.5), increasing to 18% after ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract at short-term follow-up, including 11% newly induced cases. Long-term follow-up collected using Rockwood questionnaires (63% response rate) in 69 patients uncovered a 74% incontinency rate (mean(s.d.) faecal incontinence severity index: 9.22(9.5). In those patients without subsequent surgery 49% (17 of 35) reported incontinence at long-term follow-up. Primary fistula healing after ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract was 28%. Preoperative seton drainage significantly improved healing rates (33% versus 9%). Notably, 43% (34 of 79) of unhealed fistulas transitioned into intersphincteric tracts; in these patients, 19 were treated with subsequent fistulotomy achieving cure in 18 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract healing rates fell below recent literature standards. Although the immediate impact on postoperative continence appears minimal, long-term incontinence rates are concerning. In recognizing the deterioration of individual continence, we advocate for a patient-centered approach and urge fellow researchers and clinicians to collect comprehensive prospective continence data.

Efficacy and safety of 13 surgical techniques for the treatment of complex anal fistula, non-Crohn CAF: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Considering the difficulty of treating complex anal fistula (CAF), various surgical techniques exist in clinical work. However, none are ideal. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of different surgical treatments is scarce. The authors aimed to compare the outcomes of the 13 surgical techniques and tried to find the best surgical method for treating CAF.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The authors searched worldwide databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and SinoMed, from inception to March 2023. All randomized controlled trials comparing the outcomes of 13 surgical techniques were included according to the PICO principles. The indicators of the cure rate, the recurrence rate, the complication rate, the operating time, the postoperative pain on day 1 (VAS), and the postoperative incontinence in month 1 (Wexner) were extracted and analyzed using STATA software 15.1, Review Manager 5.4, and GeMTC14.3.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight randomized controlled trials with a total of 2274 patients were included in the network meta-analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison among any surgical interventions in terms of the cure rate ( P >0.05 Table 2) and recurrence rate ( P >0.05 Table 3). However, in terms of complication rate, fistulectomy was lower than FPS (Median: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.02-0.70) or fistulotomy (Median: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.01-0.55), and fistulotomy was lower than EAFR (Median: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.05-0.84), LIFT (Median: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.02-0.66) or LIFT-EAFR (Median: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.69) ( P >0.05 Table 4). The surface estimated the advantages and disadvantages under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA). The ranking results indicated that fistulectomy might have the lowest complication rate (SUCRA=7.9%). Because the network results of the operating time, the postoperative pain, and the postoperative incontinence contained no closed loops, the results of their probability ranking could only be referenced, demonstrating that fistulectomy might have the shortest operating time (SUCRA=23.4%), video-assisted modified ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (VAMLIFT) might have the lowest postoperative pain on day 1 (VAS) (SUCRA=0.4%) and LIFT might have the lowest postoperative incontinence in month 1(Wexner) (SUCRA=16.2%).

CONCLUSION

Fistulectomy might have the lowest complication rate, which might be the relatively superior surgical technique for treating CAF.

Comparison of clinical outcomes of anal fistula plug and endoanal advancement flap repair treating the complex anal fistula: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Anal fistula (AF) is a common disease with high prevalence and surgical operations are effective treatments in clinical work. There exist many well-known surgical techniques treating complex anal fistula (CAF), however, none is ideal. To compare the superiority of Anal fistula plug (AFP) and Endoanal advancement flap repair (EAFR) for complex anal fistula. We searched worldwide databases including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and SinoMed from their inception to March 2023. Studies comparing the outcomes of AFP and EAFR were included according to the PICO principles. The indicators of the healing rate, recurrence rate, wound infection rate, and complication rate, et al. were extracted and compared between different surgical methods. 5 RCTS and 7 non-RCTs were included in the meta-analysis with a total of 847 patients (341 patients conducted with AFP and 506 patients with EAFR). By combining the total effect of the 12 articles, we found that there was a statistical difference reporting the healing rate of AFP 48.3% and EAFR 64.4% treating the CAF (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.30,1.55, P = 0.03), and EAFR has a better healing rate. However, there was no significant difference in terms of the recurrence rate (OR 1.68, 95% CI 0.80,3.54, P = 0.17), the wound infection rate (OR 1.82, 95% CI 0.95,3.52, P = 0.07), and the complication rate (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.70,1.61, P = 0.77) either in the 12 articles or in the subgroup. The meta-analysis indicated that the EAFR was superior to AFP in terms of the healing rate treating the CAF, however, there were no significant differences between the two groups when it came to the recurrence rate, the wound infection rate, and the complication rate. EAFR might be one initial treatment for the complex cryptoglandular anal fistulas compared with AFP.

Surgical treatment trends and outcomes for anal fistula: fistulotomy is still accurate and safe. Results from a nationwide observational study

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to analyse current surgical treatment preferences for anal fistula (AF) and its subtypes and nationwide results in terms of success and complications.

METHODS

A retrospective multicentre observational cohort study was conducted. The study period was 1 year (2019), with a follow-up period of at least 1 year. A descriptive analysis of patient characteristics and trends regarding technical options was performed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to analyse factors associated with healing and faecal incontinence (FI).

RESULTS

Fifty-one hospitals were involved, providing data on 1628 patients with AF. At a median follow-up of 18.3 (9.9-28.3) months, 1231 (75.9%) patients achieved healing, while 390 (24.1%) did not; failure was catalogued as persistence in 279 (17.2.0%) patients and as recurrence in 111 (6.8%). On multivariate analysis, factors associated with healing were fistulotomy (OR 5.5; 95% CI 3.8-7.9; p < 0.001), simple fistula (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.5-2.8; p < 0.001), single tract (HR 1.9; 95% CI 1.3-2.8; p < 0.001) and number of preparatory surgeries (none vs. 3; HR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2-2.8; p = 0.006). Regarding de novo FI, in the multivariate analysis previous anal surgery (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.4, p = 0.037), age (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04, p = 0.002) and being female (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5, p = 0.008) were statistically related.

CONCLUSIONS

Anal fistulotomy is the most used procedure for AF, especially for simple AF, with a favourable overall balance between healing and continence impairment. Sphincter-sparing or minimally invasive sphincter-sparing techniques resulted in lower rates of healing. In spite of their intended sphincter-sparing design, a certain degree of FI was observed for several of these techniques.

Endorectal advancement flap compared to ligation of inter-sphincteric fistula tract in the treatment of complex anal fistulas: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

BACKGROUND

Rectal advancement flap and ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract are common procedures for treating complex anal fistula. The present meta-analysis aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of advancement flap and ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract.

METHODS

A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-compliant systematic review of randomized clinical trials comparing the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract and advancement flap was conducted. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched through January 2023. The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool and certainty of evidence with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. The primary outcomes were healing and recurrence of anal fistulas, and secondary outcomes were operative time, complications, fecal incontinence, and early pain.

RESULTS

Three randomized clinical trials (193 patients, 74.6% male) were included. The median follow-up was 19.2 months. Two trials had a low risk of bias, and 1 had some risk of bias. The odds of healing (odds ratio: 1.363, 95% confidence interval: 0.373-4.972, P = .639), recurrence (odds ratio: 0.525, 95% confidence interval: 0.263-1.047, P = .067), and complications (odds ratio: 0.356, 95% confidence interval: 0.085-1.487, P = .157) were similar between the 2 procedures. Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract was associated with a significantly shorter operation time (weighted mean difference: -4.876, 95% confidence interval: -7.988 to -1.764, P = .002) and less postoperative pain (weighted mean difference: -1.030, 95% confidence interval: -1.418 to -0.641, 0.198, P < .001, I² = 3.85%) than advancement flap. Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract was associated with marginally lower odds of fecal incontinence than advancement flap (odds ratio: 0.27, 95% confidence interval: 0.069-1.06, P = .06).

CONCLUSION

Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract and advancement flap had similar odds of healing, recurrence, and complications. The odds of fecal incontinence and extent of pain after ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract were lower than after advancement flap.