Quality of life following fistulotomy - short term follow-up

Anal fistula causes pain and discharge of pus and blood. Treatment by fistulotomy has the highest success, but can risk continence; treatment needs to balance cure with continence. This study assessed the impact of fistulotomy on quality of life (QOL) and continence.

Patients selected for fistulotomy prospectively completed the St Mark's Continence Score (full incontinence = 24) and Short Form-36 questionnaires preoperatively at two institutions with an interest in anal fistula. Patients were reassessed 3 months' postoperatively.

There were 52 patients with a median age of 44 (range 19-82) years; 10 were women. Preoperative continence scores were median 0 (range 0-23) and there was no significant difference compared with postoperative scores (median 1, range 0-24). Following fistulotomy QOL was significantly improved in four of eight domains - Bodily Pain (P < 0.001), Vitality (P < 0.01), Social Functioning (P < 0.05) and Mental Health (P < 0.001) - and returned to that of the general population. QOL for patients with intersphincteric fistula improved postfistulotomy, and for those with trans-sphincteric fistula it remained the same. Data were further examined in two groups, with and without deterioration in continence score. Where continence improved postoperatively, QOL improved in three domains; where continence deteriorated QOL improved in two domains (P < 0.05). Patients with postoperative continence scores of < 5 had worse QOL than those scoring 4 or less.

QOL significantly improved at 3 months' follow-up after fistulotomy where continence was maintained or a small reduction occurred.