[Surgical management of anal fistula]

Anal fistula has been known since the beginning of medical history and is defined as a duct of fibrous infected walls that runs from anal crypt to skin or rectal lumen. Internal orifice is called primary or internal, while cutaneous orifice is referred to as secondary or external. Several techniques have been developed for surgical management of anal fistula, including fistulotomy, fistulectomy with or without sphincter repair, placement of sedal cutting or seton drainage, endorectal advancement flap, and fibrin glue, among others. GENERAL OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to demonstrate the experience in management of anal fistula at the Coloproctology Unit, Gastroenterology Service, of the Mexico City General Hospital.

We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, and descriptive study in patients with anal fistula. All patients had complete clinical and proctologic studies and pre-operative laboratory analysis.

A total of 8,816 files were reviewed from January 1997 to December 2001; 642 (7.28%) patients were carriers of a fistula, but only 595 satisfied inclusion criteria; 500 (84.03%) were male and 95 (15.97%), female, with annual incidence of 119. Average global age was 34 years (37 years in males and 28 years in females). Age range was 17 to 80 years; most frequent decades were 31 to 40 years in 197 patients (33.11%) and 41 to 50 years in 140 patients (23.53%). Anal fistula was intersphincteric in 351 (59%) and transsphincteric in 149 (25.04%). Fistulectomy was carried out in 422 patients (70.92%), fistulotomy in 108 (18.15%), seton division in 22 (3.69%), sedal in 10 (1.68%), seton drainage in two (0.33%), endorectal advancement flap in five (0.84%), fistulectomy with sphincter repair in 14 (2.35%) patients, and in 12 (2.0%) patients it was impossible to know what type of treatment had been carried out.

The fundamental aims to accomplish in treatment of anal fistula include curing, preserving anal continence, minimizing healing defects, and offering to the patient a quick recovery.