Embolization therapy: an easy solution to the “fistula” problem

  An anal fistula is a granulomatous canal around the anus that consists of an internal opening, a fistula, and an external opening. Most anal fistulas are caused by perirectal anal canal abscesses. Depending on the location, they can be divided into high and low anal fistulas. The main clinical manifestation of anal fistula is a small amount of purulent, bloody, or mucus discharge from the external opening of the fistula. Because fistulas do not heal themselves, they are often treated surgically, for example, by incision or excision for low-grade fistulas and by hanging for high-grade fistulas. However, these methods have the risk of anal incontinence, deformity, displacement, and mucus leakage, and have a high recurrence rate and a large postoperative wound with a long healing period, which requires long-term dressing changes to heal. The multiple drug changes and wound debridement with regular rubber band continuous cutting and tightening action can cause great pain to the patient.  The anal fistula biopeg is a medical bioprotein gel whose main component is extracted from blood, with good histocompatibility and basically no local foreign body reaction, and it is absorbed by the tissue in about 2 weeks and does not need to be removed from the fistula. This procedure uses a special debridement ball to remove the granulation tissue in the fistula and the foci of infection in the internal orifice, resulting in a clean and fresh wound on the fistula wall. The biopeg is then placed to better seal the fistula to promote tissue regeneration and repair and to reduce exudation and inflammatory response. The advantages of biologic embolization of anal fistula are: first, the fistula tract, internal orifice and infected anal glands are subcutaneously removed in the subcutaneous and muscular spaces, and the wound is closed on the premise of removing local inflammatory tissue. The damage to the anal sphincter is slight, which not only maintains the anal morphology but also protects the anal function to the maximum extent; secondly, the technique eliminates local edema, reduces the accumulation of exudate on the wound surface, inhibits the growth of bacteria on the wound surface, promotes cell proliferation and granulation tissue growth, and greatly reduces the recurrence rate of anal fistula.  Bioembolization of anal fistula can protect the integrity of anal shape and function to the maximum extent, which has obvious advantages for anal fistula with clear fistula (e.g. low simple anal fistula), no combined residual cavity and other special pathological background (e.g. Crohn’s disease), and is also in line with the development direction of minimally invasive anal surgery, which can easily solve the problem of “fistula”.