1. What is an anal fissure?
A small laceration or cut along the skin around the anus that causes pain and bleeding is called an anal fissure.
2.What are the symptoms of anal fissure?
The typical symptoms of anal fissures are painful defecation and bright red blood in the stool. The pain during defecation often leads to a change in the patient’s toilet habits.
3.What is the cause of anal fissure?
When defecating, a stool that is too hard or too dry often causes lacerations to the skin around the anus. Diarrhea and inflammation around the anus can also be a cause of anal fissures.
Anal fissures can be acute, or they can last for a period of time and become a chronic process. Sudden changes in bowel habits are often the cause of acute fissures. Long-term chronic fissures may be caused by poor bowel habits, resulting in spasm of the anal sphincter or too much muscle tension. Long-term internal diseases are also one of the causes of chronic anal fissures.
4.How to treat anal fissure?
Ninety percent of acute anal fissures can be cured with non-surgical treatment. Good bowel habits, a high-fiber diet, drinking plenty of water and avoiding long-term constipation can effectively improve the symptoms of anal fissures. Medicated ointments can relieve pain in the contracted muscles and promote wound healing. Hot compresses applied several times a day are also beneficial for the wound.
Patients with fissures lasting longer than a month may require additional treatment. For chronic fissures caused by medical conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease or infectious bowel disease, further investigations are usually recommended. For patients with elevated anal sphincter pressure, anorectal manometry is a good test.
5.How to treat wounds that do not heal for a long time?
For wounds that do not heal for a long time, it is very important to repeatedly examine them to find a clear cause. These causes may be scarring or spasm of the sphincter muscle, which may cause long-term pain and bleeding, and surgery is a wise choice.
6.What is anal fissure surgery?
The procedure of anal fissure surgery is to cut off a part of the internal sphincter of the anus, which will speed up the wound healing and reduce the spasm of the sphincter. Removing part of the internal sphincter does not have much effect on bowel control and is an outpatient procedure.
7.How long does it take to heal after surgery?
It usually takes only a few days for the wound to become pain-free after surgery, and a complete wound healing usually takes only a few weeks.
8.Will there be a recurrence after the surgery?
More than 90 percent of patients will be cured after surgery and there will be no recurrence. If the problem of anal fissure occurs again, anorectal manometry should be done under anesthesia to identify the cause.
9.Can anal fissures cause rectal cancer?
Chronic anal fissures do not cause cancer. However, not all similar symptoms are caused by anal fissures, so if you suspect anal fissures, you should exclude the diagnosis of rectal cancer before surgery.