Short- and long-term outcomes of sphincteroplasty for anal incontinence related to obstetric injury: a systematic review

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) and secondary repair (overlapping sphincteroplasty) in a colorectal unit: case series

Background

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) represent a significant complication of childbirth, with global variation in incidence. Although overlapping sphincteroplasty is widely regarded as the gold-standard surgical treatment, managing delayed or inadequately repaired cases remains challenging. Prevention through improved obstetric practices and early recognition of injuries is considered the optimal approach to minimizing the burden of OASIS.

Objectives

This case series aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of overlapping sphincteroplasty in patients presenting with delayed or missed OASIS.

Methods

The study included 12 female patients treated at a single institution over 4 years. All participants had a history of instrumental delivery and episiotomy, with symptoms of incontinence. Preoperative and postoperative assessments were performed using the Wexner scoring system. Overlapping sphincteroplasty was performed in all cases. Follow-up was conducted at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years to evaluate symptomatic improvement and patient satisfaction.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 38 years (range: 26-53 years). All patients experienced symptomatic improvement following surgery, with significant reductions in the Wexner scores and high patient satisfaction rates. The mean duration of symptoms before surgery was 14 months (3-36 months). Complications included a 25% rate of superficial wound breakdown and one case of deep wound breakdown requiring secondary repair. Despite this, no incontinence symptoms were reported at the 2-year follow-up.

Conclusions

Delayed overlapping sphincteroplasty is an effective surgical approach for treating missed or inadequately repaired OASIS, offering satisfactory outcomes. However, prevention through improved obstetric practices remains an optimal strategy.

Muscle regeneration therapy using dedifferentiated fat cell (DFAT) for anal sphincter dysfunction

PURPOSE

We investigated the effects of mouse-derived DFAT on the myogenic differentiation of a mouse-derived myoblast cell line (C2C12) and examined the therapeutic effects of rat-derived DFAT on anal sphincter injury using a rat model.

METHODS

C2C12 cells were cultured using DMEM and DFAT-conditioned medium (DFAT-CM), evaluating MyoD and Myogenin gene expression via RT-PCR. DFAT was locally administered to model rats with anorectal sphincter dysfunction 3 days post-CTX injection. Therapeutic effects were assessed through functional assessment, including anal pressure measurement using solid-state manometry pre/post-CTX, and on days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21 post-DFAT administration. Histological evaluation involved anal canal excision on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 after CTX administration, followed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.

RESULTS

C2C12 cells cultured with DFAT-CM exhibited increased MyoD and Myogenin gene expression compared to control. Anal pressure measurements revealed early recovery of resting pressure in the DFAT-treated group. Histologically, DFAT-treated rats demonstrated an increase in mature muscle cells within newly formed muscle fibers on days 14 and 21 after CTX administration, indicating enhanced muscle tissue repair.

CONCLUSION

DFAT demonstrated the potential to enhance histological and functional muscle tissue repair. These findings propose DFAT as a novel therapeutic approach for anorectal sphincter dysfunction treatment.

LIFT procedure: postoperative outcomes, risk factors for fistula recurrence and continence impairment

Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract has been recently employed as definitive treatment of anal fistulas. However, it carries a potential risk of continence impairment, fistula recurrence, and repeated operations. This study aimed to assess postoperative outcomes related to this procedure and evaluate the potential influence of preoperative and intraoperative features. Patients who underwent LIFT procedure between June 2012 and September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided according to whether they developed fistula recurrence and on the history of a surgery prior to the LIFT. Preoperative features, postoperative outcomes, and risk factors adverse outcomes were analyzed. Forty-eight patients were included, of which 25 received primary LIFT, being the high transsphincteric fistula pattern the most frequent (62.5%). The median follow-up was 13.3 months, with a recurrence rate of 20.8%, of which the majority presented an intersphincteric fistula pattern (50%); and continence impairment rate of 16.7%. A higher prevalence of diabetes (p = 0.026) and a trend towards a higher prevalence of patients with a history of high transsphincteric fistula (0.052) were observed in the group with fistula recurrence. The history of diabetes and the operation time with a cut-off value ≥ 69 min showed a trend as a risk factors for developing fistula recurrence (0.06) and postoperative continence impairment (0.07), respectively. The LIFT procedure seems to be safe in terms of morbidity, with a reasonable incidence of recurrences, showing better results when it is primarily performed. Preoperative characteristics should be considered as they may impact outcomes.