A prospective study on the outcomes of lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure

Background: An anal fissure is a common problem caused due to an elongated tear in the longitudinal axis of the lower anal canal. It causes severe pain during defecation and anal bleeding that stains the tissue or streaks the stool. Medical and conservative treatment methods may be sufficient for acute anal fissures. However, in chronic anal fissures, Lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) is the standard treatment that results in healing in the maximum number of cases. The present study aims to seek the safety of lateral internal sphincterotomy along with studying its early and late complications, factors affecting the recurrence and incontinence in patients of lateral internal sphincterotomy and methods to avoid incontinence in such patients. Methods: The study was planned by selecting a total of 100 patients who underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy with an equal number of males and females. Results: The study revealed that early complications (viz. pain, post-operative bleeding, urinary retention, infection and hematoma) and late complications (viz. abscess formation, anal incontinence, anal stenosis and recurrence) were observed in some of the patients. All the early and late complications were managed by following the standard procedures during the follow-up period. No major complication persisted in the patients under study. Conclusions: The study concluded that the procedure of lateral internal sphincterotomy is an effective and safe procedure for the problem of chronic anal fissures.