Treatment of recurrent high anal fistula by total excision and primary sphincter reconstruction

Fourteen patients with recurrent high anal fistula were treated by total excision of the fistulous tract with primary sphincter reconstruction. Nine patients with sepsis had seton drainage for one to three months before the operation. The surgical approach was the transsphincteric technique described by Mason. No covering stoma was used routinely, but three patients referred with a colostomy had the stoma closed 3 to 5 months later. After a follow-up from 1 to 4 years two patients had recurrence, which in one necessitated a diverting ileostomy. Three patients, one with recurrence and two without, suffered from minor anal incontinence. It is concluded that total excision with primary sphincter reconstruction is a treatment modality which should be considered for recurrent high anal fistula, especially in patients where closure by an advancement flap is not possible.