The Investigation on Frequency of Complications of Postoperative Perianal Fistulas Surgeries among Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Perianal abscess is the most conventional anorectal disease caused by infection of cryptoglandular glands in intersphincteric space. If it is left untreated, permanent fistula will be arisen. Nowadays, treatment of anal fistulas is one of the problems of general and colorectal surgeons due to its disabling complications. For this reason, because of the large number of reports of types of complications of fistula surgery, we investigated the frequency of postoperative complications of perianal fistula surgeries among patients.

Material and methods: In present retrospective cross-sectional study, demographic data including age, gender, educational level, diabetes status, Body Mass Index (BMI), type of surgery, and fistula length of patients were collected from hospital records. Patients were also evaluated at the specialized surgical clinic in the first week, first month, and six months after the surgery. Then, the information on recovery way and complications including fecal incontinence, flatus (gas) incontinence and recurrence were recorded by the surgeon and phone calls with all patients. Finally, the complications against demographic variables were evaluated.

Reults: In this study, 41.1% of patients had complications. All incontinence cases were minor. The highest frequencies were found to be as follows: in Fistulotomy for incontinence (flatus incontinence 23.5%, and fecal incontinence 23.5%), in Fistulectomy (recurrence 20%) and also in Seton embedment surgery (recurrence, 50%). Furthermore, in patients with short fistula and long fistula, recurrence and flatus incontinence had the highest frequency with a rate of 30.8% and 16.7%, respectively.

Conclusion: Regarding the type of surgery chosen by the surgeon, it is advisable to give the patient appropriate warnings about the most conventional complications in each type of surgery. Also, these warnings about the recurrence (with the highest frequency) should also be taken seriously.