Treatment of anal fissure: a survey of surgical practice in Australia and New Zealand

Effectiveness of combined botulinum toxin and fissurectomy on chronic anal fissures - a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Anal fissures are a debilitating benign condition, thought to be due to the hypertonicity of the internal anal sphincter resulting in localized ischaemia inhibiting healing. There are several surgical and non-surgical treatment options for chronic anal fissures. Clinical practice surveys report a trend toward sphincter-sparing options, reserving the more successful treatment of lateral sphincterotomy, with an incontinence rate up to 10%, for refractory fissures.

METHODS

A search of MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and EMBASE for studies assessing sphincter-sparing treatment with botulinum toxin and fissurectomy was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Outcomes assessed included healing rate, persistence, recurrence, re-intervention and incontinence rates.

RESULTS

Fifteen non-randomized studies assessed 978 patients managed with botulinum toxin and fissurectomy. The mean age was 40.8 years with a female predominance of 58.9%. Healing rate was reported on 14 of the 15 studies, with a healing rate of 81% (95% CI:0.67, 0.90). Persistence rate was reported as 15% (95% CI:0.07, 0.28) and a recurrence rate of 6% (95% CI: 0.01, 0.19). Re-intervention was required in 8% of patients with 55.1% requiring a repeat dose of botulinum toxin with or without fissurectomy. Incontinence appears to be transient with studies reporting a rate of 1% with median long-term follow up 23 months (range: 5-60 months).

CONCLUSION

Combination fissurectomy and botulinum toxin is a safe and viable sphincter sparing treatment option, with moderate success rate and negligible complications. Randomized controlled trials are required to further strengthen the evidence for its use in chronic anal fissures.

Outcomes Following Intrasphincteric Injection of Botulinum Toxin for Treatment of Anal Fissures

Background Intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin is an alternative treatment for anal fissures, which may present less risk of fecal incontinence than more invasive procedures, such as lateral internal sphincterotomy. The aim is to compare cure and complication rates between these two treatments. Methods We conducted a retrospective audit of patients who underwent treatment of anal fissures with intrasphincteric botulinum toxin or lateral internal sphincterotomy from 2016 to 2020 at the Colorectal Surgery Unit of Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia, excluding those who had previously had either procedure. Results Fifty-one patients received intrasphincteric botulinum toxin, and 40 patients underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy. Most patients in the botulinum group had a total dose of either 80 (53%; n=27) or 100 units (37%; n=19) and had the dose administered bilaterally at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions (n=41; 80%). Thirty-one patients in the botulinum group (61%) had complete resolution of symptoms, with a mean time to cure of two months, compared to 36 patients (90%) in the sphincterotomy group with a mean time to cure of 1.5 months. In most cases, postoperative incontinence was transient, although one patient in the botulinum group had persistent incontinence of flatus, and two patients in the sphincterotomy group had persistent fecal incontinence. Conclusion Intrasphincteric botulinum injection is an effective, less-invasive alternative to sphincterotomy for the treatment of anal fissures, with incontinence usually temporary when it occurs. Further research is needed to optimize the dose and location of injection and guide future recommendations.

Surgeons' practice and preferences for the anal fissure treatment: results from an international survey

The best nonoperative or operative anal fissure (AF) treatment is not yet established, and several options have been proposed. Aim is to report the surgeons' practice for the AF treatment. Thirty-four multiple-choice questions were developed. Seven questions were about to participants' demographics and, 27 questions about their clinical practice. Based on the specialty (general surgeon and colorectal surgeon), obtained data were divided and compared between two groups. Five-hundred surgeons were included (321 general and 179 colorectal surgeons). For both groups, duration of symptoms for at least 6 weeks is the most important factor for AF diagnosis (30.6%). Type of AF (acute vs chronic) is the most important factor which guide the therapeutic plan (44.4%). The first treatment of choice for acute AF is ointment application for both groups (59.6%). For the treatment of chronic AF, this data is confirmed by colorectal surgeons (57%), but not by the general surgeons who prefer the lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) (31.8%) (p = 0.0001). Botulin toxin injection is most performed by colorectal surgeons (58.7%) in comparison to general surgeons (20.9%) (p = 0.0001). Anal flap is mostly performed by colorectal surgeons (37.4%) in comparison to general surgeons (28.3%) (p = 0.0001). Fissurectomy alone is statistically significantly most performed by general surgeons in comparison to colorectal surgeons (57.9% and 43.6%, respectively) (p = 0.0020). This analysis provides useful information about the clinical practice for the management of a debated topic such as AF treatment. Shared guidelines and consensus especially focused on operative management are required to standardize the treatment and to improve postoperative results.

Botulinum toxin injection for the treatment of chronic anal fissure: uni- and multivariate analysis of the factors that promote healing

PURPOSE

Anal fissure is caused by a pathological contraction of the internal anal sphincter. Lateral internal sphincterotomy remains the gold standard for the treatment of fissure. Botulinum toxin injections have been proposed to treat this condition without any risk of permanent injury of the internal sphincter. We investigate clinical and pathological variables and the effects of different dosage regimens of botulinum toxin to induce healing in patients with idiopathic anal fissure.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study at a single center. The patients underwent a pre-treatment evaluation that included clinical inspection of the fissure and anorectal manometry. We collected and analyzed demographic data, pathological variables, associated pathological conditions, and treatment variables. Success was defined as healing of the fissure, and improvement of symptoms was defined as asymptomatic persistent fissure.

RESULTS

The findings of 1003 patients treated with botulinum toxin injections were reported. At 2 months evaluation, complete healing was evident in 780 patients (77.7%). Resting anal tone (77.1 ± 18.9 mmHg) was significantly lower from baseline (P < 0.0001) and from 1-month value (P = 0.0008). Thirty-nine not healed patients underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy, and 184 were re-treated with 50 UI of botulinum toxin. In these patients, the healing rate was 93.9% (171 patients). Dose and injection site of toxin correlates with healing rate. There were no relapses during an average of about 71 months.

CONCLUSION

Our data show that injection of botulinum toxin into the internal anal sphincter is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in patients with chronic anal fissure.

Scanner-Assisted CO2 Laser Fissurectomy: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Surgery for chronic anal fissure is challenging for every proctologist. Solving the pain by guaranteeing rapid and effective healing is the objective, but what is the price to pay today in functional terms? Though this result is nowadays partially achievable through interventions that include the execution of an internal sphincterotomy among the procedures, it is necessary to underline the high rate of patients who can present faecal incontinence. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of scanner-assisted CO₂ laser fissurectomy.

Methods: From April 2021 to September 2021, all consecutive patients who affected by chronic anal fissure suitable for surgery, meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were evaluated. All planned data were recorded before surgery, then at 24 h, 1 week, and 1 month follow-up. A scanner-assisted CO₂ laser was used in this study to achieve a smooth and dried wound with a minimal tissue thermal damage, to ensure good postsurgical pain control, rapid and functional, elastic and stable healing, and to prevent potential relapses. Paracetamol 1 g every 8 h was prescribed for the first 24 h and then continued according to each patient's need. Ketorolac 15 mg was prescribed as rescue.

Results: Mean pain intensity ≤3, considered as the principal endpoint, was recorded in 26 out of the 29 patients who enrolled in the study with a final success rate of 89.7% at 1-month follow-up. Pain and anal itching showed a statistically significant reduction while bleeding, burning, and maximum pain, and REALIS score showed a reduction too at the end of the follow-up period. Reepithelisation proved to be extremely fast and effective: 22 of 29 (75.9%) showed a complete healing and 5 showed a partial reepithelisation at 1-month follow-up.

Discussion: Outcomes of this study showed that it is undoubtedly necessary to change the surgical approach in case of anal fissure. The internal sphincterotomy procedure must be most of all questioned, where the availability of cutting-edge technological tools must be avoided and offered only in selected cases. Scanner-assisted CO₂ laser showed great results in terms of pain control and wound healing, secondary to an extremely precise ablation, vaporisation, and debridement procedures with minimal lateral thermal damage.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of topical sphincterotomy treatments for anal fissure

BACKGROUND

Anal fissure is a common condition that can be treated medically or surgically. Chemical sphincterotomy is often used before surgical intervention. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of topical agents for chemical sphincterotomy on healing of anal fissures and side-effects.

METHODS

A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) compliant systematic review was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and CENTRAL databases. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials which compared topical sphincterotomy agents with topical placebo agents or each other. Studies that included surgical treatments were excluded. Overall evidence was synthesized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven studies met the study selection criteria. Seventeen studies show that glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) was significantly more likely to heal anal fissure than placebo (relative risk (RR) = 1.96, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.35-2.84, I2 = 80%). Eleven studies showed a marginally significant difference between healing rates for diltiazem vs GTN, RR = 1.16, (1.01-1.33) I2 = 48%. There was no significant difference in healing between diltiazem and placebo, RR = 1.65, (0.64-4.23), I2 = 92%. GTN significantly reduced pain on the visual analog scale compared to the placebo group, MD-0.97 (-1.64 to -0.29) I2 = 92%. There was high certainty of evidence that GTN was significantly more likely to cause headache than placebo (RR = 2.73 (1.82-4.10) I2 = 58%) and diltiazem RR = 6.88 (2.19-21.63) I2 = 17%.

CONCLUSION

There is low certainty evidence topical nitrates are an effective treatment for anal fissure healing and pain reduction compared to placebo. Despite widespread use of topical diltiazem, more evidence is required to establish the effectiveness of calcium channel blockers compared to placebo.

Local Perianal Anesthetic Infiltration Is Safe and Effective for Anorectal Surgery

Background: General or regional anesthesia is predominantly used for anorectal surgery, however in the recent years more attention was drawn in the use of local anesthesia for anorectal surgery. In this study we present the technique and results of the use of local perianal anesthetic infiltration for minor anorectal operations. Methods: In this cohort study patients undergoing surgery for hemorrhoids, anal fissures and low anal fistulas were included. Posterior perineal block was induced with a mixture containing 0.125% bupivacaine and 0.5% lidocaine. All patients were followed up at 30 days either by a post-operative visit or a telephone call and all post-operative complications over the post-operative 30-day period were registered. Results: One thousand and twenty-six consecutive patients were included in our study. For all patients' intraoperative analgesia was achieved after performing perianal anesthetic infiltration and no additional support from the anesthesia team was necessary in any of case. Complications were observed in 14 (1.4%). Urinary retention occurred in 5 (0.5%) cases. Six cases of bleeding occurred after hemorrhoidectomy (0.6%) and 1 (0.1%) after lateral internal sphincterotomy. Perianal abscess developed for two patients (0.2%). Conclusions: Local anesthesia using posterior perineal block technique is safe and effective for intraoperative analgesia in anorectal surgery, saving a substantial operation cost by avoiding the involvement of an anesthesia team and resulting in minimal incidence of urinary retention and other complications.

The REALISE score: a new statistically validated scoring system to assess the severity of anal fissures

BACKGROUND

Anal fissure (AF) is a common, painful disease that strongly affects patients' quality of life, however, no scoring system to assess the severity of AF is available in the literature. The aim of this study was to set up and validate a reliable scoring system to quantify the severity of AF, to be used in prospective trials comparing the efficacy and the outcomes of surgical or medical treatments.

METHODS

The study was conducted on patients with acute or chronic AF and a control group in a tertiary centre for coloproctology in June 2020-September 2020. Two researchers independently carried out a structured interviewer-led questionnaire at two different time points (T1/T2). The questionnaire consisted of five items selected according to the most commonly reported symptoms for AF: the item pain, was scored from 0 to 10 using a visual analogue scale, and quality of life, duration of pain, use of painkillers, and bleeding were scored from 1 to 5 using Likert-scale questions. The scoRing systEm for AnaL fIsSurE (REALISE) score was the sum of the points. Patients with AF and a control group of patients with haemorrhoids, anal fistula, or obstructed defecation syndrome entered the study. Main outcome measures were reliability, inter-/intraobserver agreement, and repeatability.

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty well-matched patients (75 with AF and 75 controls) were enrolled. A significant difference was found between the mean REALISE score for patients with AF and controls (p < 0.001). The two REALISE scores were highly correlated (r = 0.99). The coefficient of repeatability was 1.45 in T1 and 1.18 in T2.

CONCLUSIONS

The REALISE score may have an important role in the assessment and management of AF, in grading the severity of AF and comparing results of different treatments.

Treatment of a chronic anal fissure with a botulin toxin A injection and fissurectomy

INTRODUCTION

pharmacological treatment of a chronic anal fissure (CAF) achieves healing in half of cases and lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) is the definite treatment. The objective of this study was to assess the combination of fissurectomy and botulin toxin A (BTA) injection.

METHODS

this was a retrospective study of 54 patients with anal sphincter hypertonia and CAF treated with an injection of BAT and fissurectomy, after an unsuccessful management with topical nitroglycerin (NGT) for eight weeks. Fissurectomy and an injection of BTA (33 or 50 units) in the internal anal sphincter was performed during the same session. The main outcome measure was the healing rate, with incontinence and the need of LIS as secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

two patients were excluded from the study, one due to Crohn's disease and the other was lost to follow-up. Of the 52 patients included in the study, there were 36 females (70%) and 16 (30%) males, with a mean age of 49 years (range 22-75). Fissure healing was initially achieved in 49 patients (94.2%) and LIS was required in the remaining three patients (5.8%). After initial healing, 18 patients (34.7%) developed 23 recurrences at a mean time of 27 months (5-83 months). Of these patients, healing with conservative sphincter measures was obtained in eleven cases (NGT in eight and repeat fissurectomy and BAT in three); two patients are currently under treatment with NGT and five underwent LIS.

CONCLUSIONS

BTA injection associated with fissurectomy is a safe and effective procedure in patients with CAF, avoiding the need of LIS in a high percentage of patients.