Anal fissures lead to pain and bleeding during bowel movements. It could also lead to spasms in the muscle ring at the end of the anus, known as an anal sphincter.
An anal fissure is commonly seen in young infants but could occur at any age. Most anal fissures can be treated by medications and self-care. However, some anal fissures may need surgical treatment.
Types: Anal fissures are of the following two types:
Causes: The different causes of anal fissure include:
The different symptoms associated with anal fissure include:
Anal fissures can be treated in the following ways:
It can be performed in the following ways:
Surgery may be recommended to treat anal fissures when the conservative, non-medical approach has failed. The surgeries are usually performed under general anesthesia, that is, the patient is made unconscious during the procedure. The different types of surgeries that can be performed include:
1. Lateral internal sphincterotomy:
It involves cutting the sphincter muscles from the outermost anal edge and allowing the anal fissure to heal.
This procedure can be performed in the following two ways:
a) Open sphincterotomy: The surgeon will make a small incision or cut in the skin to view the sphincter muscles. This cut is normally left open for healing.
b) Closed sphincterotomy: The surgeon will pass a blade under the skin and reaches the sphincter muscles to cut them.
This procedure may lead to incontinence (lack of control over urination).
2. Fissurectomy:
The anal fissure edges are surgically excised along with any skin tags that may be present due to anal tears.
The sphincter muscle will not be cut in this procedure.
A cauterization tool is then used for sealing the entire wound area.
Lateral internal sphincterotomy gives immediate pain relief, compared to gradual pain relief achieved by fissurectomy.
The chances of anal fissure recurrence are higher following a fissurectomy.
3. Anal advancement flaps:
A small portion of healthy skin is grafted in the place of the damaged skin in the anal fissure in this procedure.
This procedure is less likely to cause incontinence.
4. Laser surgery for anal fissure treatment:
This surgery is usually under local anesthesia, that is, the area of treatment is numbed during the procedure.
A carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is usually used in this procedure. It is used to concentrate on a fixed surgical area and offers more control over the surgery.
The infrared radiation from the laser is used to increase the blood flow to the anal fissure area. This helps in the proper healing of the anal fissure.
The healing is quicker and the chances of anal fissure recurrence are less in this procedure.
Anal fissure surgery may have the following complications:
The cost of anal fissure surgery in Mumbai is between INR 25,000 to INR 1,00,000.
The cost of anal fissure surgery in Delhi is between INR 20,000 to INR 90,000.
The cost of anal fissure surgery in Bangalore is between INR 20,000 to INR 90,000.
The cost of anal fissure surgery in Chennai is between INR 18,000 to INR 85,000.
MBBS, MS General Surgery (JIPMER), DrNB Surgical Gastroenterology - Surgical Gastroenterologist