Outcomes with the use of bioprosthetic grafts to reinforce the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (BioLIFT procedure) for the management of complex anal fistulas

Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract: What is the evidence in a review?

Broadly, complex fistulas are those that are not low transsphincteric or intersphincteric. The objectives of surgical management are to achieve fistula healing, prevent recurrences and maintain continence. The risk of incontinence associated with treatment ranges from 10% to 57%. The objective of this manuscript is to review the current literature to date on the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract procedure (LIFT procedure) as a treatment option in these types of fistula. A search was conducted in Medline, PUBMED, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge, and studies published from January 2009 to May 2013 were included. The primary outcomes were fistula healing rates, mean healing time and patient satisfaction with this surgical technique. Eighteen studies were included in this review. The total number of patients included was 592 (65% male). The median age reported was 42.8 years. The most common type of fistula included was transsphincteric (73.3% of cases). The mean healing rate reported was 74.6%. The risk factors for failure discovered were obesity, smoking, multiple previous surgeries and the length of the fistula tract. The mean healing time was 5.5 wk, and the mean follow-up period was 42.3 wk. The patient satisfaction rates ranged from 72% to 100%. No de novo incontinence developed secondary to the LIFT procedure. There is not enough evidence that variants in the surgical technique achieve better outcomes (Bio-LIFT, LIFT-Plug, LIFT-Plus). This review indicates that the LIFT procedure is primarily effective for transsphincteric fistulas with an overall fistula closure of 74.6% and has a low impact on fecal continence. This procedure produces better outcomes at the first surgical attempt.

Overview of anal fistula and systematic review of ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT)

Anal fistula management has long been a challenge for surgeons. Presently, no technique exists that is ideal for treating all types of anal fistula, whether simple or complex. A higher incidence of poor sphincter function and recurrence after surgery has encouraged the development of a new sphincter-sparing procedure, ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT), first described by Van der Hagen et al. in 2006. We assessed the safety, feasibility, success rate, and continence of LIFT as a sphincter-saving procedure. A literature search of articles in electronic databases published from January 2006 to August 2012 was performed. Analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews recommendations. All LIFT-related articles published in the English language were included. We excluded case reports, abstracts, letters, non-English language articles, and comments. The procedure was described in detail as reported by Rojanasakul. Thirteen original studies, including 435 patients, were reviewed. The most common fistula procedure type was transsphincteric (92.64 %). The overall median operative time was 39 (±20.16) min. Eight authors performed LIFT as a same-day surgery, whereas the others admitted patients to the hospital, with an overall median stay of 1.25 days (range 1-5 days). Postoperative complications occurred in 1.88 % of patients. All patients remained continent postoperatively. The overall mean length of follow-up was 33.92 (±17.0) weeks. The overall mean healing rate was 81.37 (±16.35) % with an overall mean healing period of 8.15 (±5.96) weeks. Fistula recurrence occurred in 7.58 % of patients. LIFT represents a new, easy-to-learn, and inexpensive sphincter-sparing procedure that provides reasonable results. LIFT is safe and feasible, with favorable short- and long-term outcomes. However, additional prospective randomized studies are required to confirm these findings.

[Perianal fistula and anal fissure]

CRYPTOGLANDULAR ANAL FISTULA: Perianal abscesses are caused by cryptoglandular infections. Not every abscess will end in a fistula. The formation of a fistula is determined by the anatomy of the anal sphincter and perianal fistulas will not heal on their own. The therapy of a fistula is oriented between a more aggressive approach (operation) and a conservative treatment with fibrin glue or a plug. Definitive healing and the development of incontinence are the most important key points. ANAL FISSURES: Acute anal fissures should be treated conservatively by topical ointments, consisting of nitrates, calcium channel blockers and if all else fails by botulinum toxin. Treatment of chronic fissures will start conservatively but operative options are necessary in many cases. Operation of first choice is fissurectomy, including excision of fibrotic margins, curettage of the base and excision of the sentinel pile and anal polyps. Lateral internal sphincterotomy is associated with a certain degree of incontinence and needs critical long-term observation.

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus a bioprosthetic anal fistula plug (LIFT-Plug): a new technique for fistula-in-ano

AIM

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract and reinforcement with a bioprosthetic graft are two recently reported procedures that have shown promise in the treatment of anal fistula. This study was undertaken to validate combining ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus bioprosthetic anal fistula plug and report our preliminary results and experience.

METHOD

Twenty-one patients with transsphincteric anal fistula were treated with ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus concurrent bioprosthetic plug of the anal fistula. We evaluated healing time, fistula closure rate and postoperative anal function according to the Wexner continence score.

RESULTS

No mortality or major complications were observed. Median operative time was 20 (range 15-40) min. After a median follow-up of 14 (range 12-15) months, the overall success rate was 95% (20/21), with a median healing time of 2 (range 2-3) weeks for external anal fistula opening and 4 (range 3-7) weeks for intersphincteric groove incision. Only 1 (5%) patient reported rare incontinence for gas postoperatively (Wexner score 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus a bioprosthetic anal fistula plug is an easy, safe, effective and useful alternative in the management of anal fistula. Further randomized controlled studies are necessary to better evaluate long-term results.

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract in the management of anal fistula. A systematic review

AIM

Over the last 5 years, the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure has become increasingly popular as a sphincter-preserving technique for the treatment of anal fistula. The aim of this article was to review the published literature on the LIFT procedure.

METHOD

The Cochrane database and EMBASE were searched from January 1980 to November 2012, and PubMed from January 1966 to November 2012. All peer-reviewed studies that investigated the LIFT procedure for the treatment of anal fistula were eligible for inclusion. Technical notes, commentaries, letters and meeting abstracts were excluded. The primary outcome measured was the overall fistula closure rate in relation to the length of follow-up.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine articles were originally identified using the search criteria. Thirteen were finally included for analysis. Sample sizes ranged from 18 to 93 patients, with a pooled total of 498. Most fistulae, 494 (99%), were of cryptoglandular aetiology, of which 470 (94%) were transsphincteric. Overall success rates ranged from 40 to 95%, with a pooled success of 71% (352 of 495 patients; 3 of 498 were lost to follow-up). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 55 months, with a reported mean or median of 4 to 19.5 months. One hundred and eighty-three patients were formally assessed for continence, out of whom 11 (6%) had a minor disturbance.

CONCLUSION

Overall the systematic review shows that the LIFT procedure appears to be an effective sphincter-conserving approach for the treatment of transsphincteric anal fistula with a pooled healing rate of 71% over a mean or median follow-up period ranging from 4 to 19.5 months.

Novel biological strategies in the management of anal fistula

BACKGROUND

The mostly widely studied biomaterials for the sphincter sparing treatment of anal fistulas are fibrin glue and the anal fistula plug (AFP). However their overall mean clinical success is only 50-60%. As the understanding of the pathology of anal fistula, wound healing and the host response to materials has improved, so new biological sphincter-sparing strategies have been developed. The aim of this review is to assess the safety and efficacy of these novel techniques.

METHOD

PubMed, the Cochrane database and EMBASE were independently searched. All studies that investigated the potential of a biomaterial (defined as any synthetic or biologically derived substance in contact with host tissue) to augment the healing of anal fistula without sphincter division were included. Studies solely describing the role of fibrin glue or an AFP were excluded. Data extraction included type of material, fistula aetiology, treatment of the primary tract, fistula healing, incontinence, duration of follow-up and any specific complications. Systematic quality assessment of the included articles was performed.

RESULTS

Twenty-three articles were finally selected for review. These included a variety of biological and synthetic systems that were employed to deliver selected components of the extracellular matrix, growth factors, cytokines, stem cells or drugs to the fistula tract.

CONCLUSION

To date no study matches fistulotomy with regard to long-term fistula eradication rate. This is probably due to implant extrusion, inadequate track preparation or an unsuitable material. Future techniques need to address all these issues to ensure success. Success should be validated by MRI or long-term follow-up.

High ligation of the fistula track by lateral approach: a modified sphincter-saving technique for advanced anal fistulas

AIM

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula track is a novel surgical procedure with the advantage of avoiding anal incontinence. We conducted a preliminary investigation of a modified technique for complicated trans-sphincteric anal fistula by high ligation of the track using a lateral approach.

METHOD

From June 2010 to May 2011, 10 patients received high ligation of the fistula track using a lateral approach. Patients selected for the procedure had a mature trans-sphincteric type of anal fistula that involved a significant amount of the external sphincter. Patients with early fistulous abscess or with a history of previous anal surgery were excluded. The surgical technique involved making an incision from the external opening and extending this towards the direction of the internal opening, dissection of the fistula from the underlying soft tissue, high ligation above the internal sphincter and removal of the distal part of the fistula track for pathological examination.

RESULTS

Of the 10 patients, eight were men and the mean ± SD age was 40.5 ± 7.23 years. The median (range) duration of follow-up was 7 (6-10) months. In all patients, the wound was completely healed by the sixth postoperative week. Two cases of recurrence were noted later and were successfully managed by traditional fistulotomy.

CONCLUSION

High-ligation surgery of the fistula track for trans-sphincteric anal fistula, aimed at total anal sphincter preservation, has shown encouraging early results. Long-term follow-up and randomized controlled trials are necessary.

The evaluation and treatment of Crohn perianal fistulae: EUA, EUS, MRI, and other imaging modalities

Perianal fistulizing disease is a common complication of CD that requires a multidisciplinary collaboration between gastroenterology, surgery, and radiology professionals for successful assessment and treatment. Optimal success comes from a combined medical and surgical approach to treat the fistulizing disease (see Fig. 1). Unfortunately, even with a variety of surgical options, a subset of patients require permanent fecal diversion and/or proctectomy to successfully treat their disease. Further studies (likely requiring large, multicenter trials) of novel medical and surgical treatments are still warranted to formulate optimal management of this complex condition.

New techniques for treating an anal fistula

Surgery for an anal fistula may result in recurrence or impairment of continence. The ideal treatment for an anal fistula should be associated with low recurrence rates, minimal incontinence and good quality of life. Because of the risk of a change in continence with conventional techniques, sphincter-preserving techniques for the management complex anal fistulae have been evaluated. First, the anal fistula plug is made of lyophilized porcine intestinal submucosa. The anal fistula plug is expected to provide a collagen scaffold to promote tissue in growth and fistula healing. Another addition to the sphincter-preserving options is the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract procedure. This technique is based on the concept of secure closure of the internal opening and concomitant removal of infected cryptoglandular tissue in the intersphincteric plane. Recently, cell therapy for an anal fistula has been described. Adipose-derived stem cells have two biologic properties, namely, ability to suppress inflammation and differentiation potential. These properties are useful for the regeneration or the repair of damaged tissues. This article discusses the rationales for, the estimated efficacies of, and the limitations of new sphincter-preserving techniques for the treatment of anal fistulae.

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) to treat anal fistula: early results from a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Ligation of the intersphincteric tract (LIFT), a novel sphincter-saving technique, has been recently described with promising results. Literature data are still scant. In this prospective observational study, we present our experience with this technique.

METHODS

Between October 2010 and April 2011, 18 patients with 'complex' fistulas underwent LIFT. All patients were enrolled in the study after a physical examination including digital examination and proctoscopy. For the purpose of this pilot study, fistulas were classified as complex if any of the following conditions were present: tract crossing more than 30% of the external sphincter, anterior fistula in a woman, recurrent fistula or pre-existing incontinence. Endpoints were healing time, presence of recurrence, faecal incontinence and surgical complications.

RESULTS

Ten patients were men and 8 were women; mean age was 39 years; minimum follow-up was 4 months. Three patients required drainage seton insertion and delayed LIFT. After LIFT, 1 patient experienced haemorrhoidal thrombosis. At the end of the follow-up, 15 patients (83%) healed with no recurrence. Three patients had persistent symptoms and required further surgical treatment. We did not observe postoperative worsening of continence.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from our pilot study indicate that this novel sphincter-saving approach is effective and safe for treating complex anal fistula.

A Bartter's-like syndrome from capreomycin, and a similar gentamicin tubulopathy

Marked renal potassium and magnesium wasting, alkalosis, and a progressive increase in plasma renin and eventual hyperaldosteronemia developed during a 15-month course of in-hospital capreomycin therapy that was necessary for drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. A prominent feature of the present case was renal chloride wasting, a feature of the capreomycin syndrome that has previously received little attention. Similar potentially life-threatening metabolic abnormalities, which resemble those found in Bartter's syndrome, can occur during prolonged therapy with the antibiotic gentamicin. In the present case, electrolyte abnormalities were unaffected by three days of indomethacin therapy but were partially corrected by large doses of spironolactone. Capreomycin, viomycin (an antibiotic closely related to capreomycin), and gentamicin are highly basic polypeptide antibiotics that may induce strikingly similar and potentially fatal syndromes of renal tubular dysfunction that can feature multiple electrolyte abnormalities.