What are the symptoms of an anal fistula?

Written by Yang Dong

Colorectal Surgery Department

Updated on September 05, 2024

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Anal fistula is one of the common diseases in proctology. The most typical symptom of anal fistula is recurrent anal induration, accompanied by swelling, pain, and pus discharge, often with a ruptured external opening. During the quiescent phase, a hard cord can be felt leading from the ruptured external opening to the inside of the anus; during the acute inflammatory phase or abscess phase, pressing may cause pus to ooze from the ruptured opening.

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Written by Yu Xu Chao

Colorectal Surgery

59sec

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Is the recovery from a second anal fistula surgery quick?

Whether the recovery from a second surgery for anal fistula is quick primarily depends on whether the surgical wound is infected and bleeding, and it is also directly related to the patient's own immunity and the size of the wound. Generally, if the wound from the second surgery is relatively small and the patient does not have diabetes, tuberculosis, or inflammatory bowel disease, then the postoperative recovery tends to be quicker. Moreover, the patient should eat foods rich in high-quality protein and persist in changing dressings to avoid infection and bleeding of the wound, which also facilitates recovery after anal fistula surgery. However, if the wound from the anal fistula surgery is larger and the second procedure involves the seton technique, and since the patient's second surgery is for a high complex anal fistula, the recovery time is relatively slower. Additionally, if the patient has diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, this will directly affect the postoperative recovery.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing

Colorectal Surgery

52sec

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How to relieve pain from anal fistula?

The main reason that anal fistulas cause pain is because they are severe infectious lesions. During the acute phase, local inflammation causes pain or itching around the external opening, along with discharge from this opening. To alleviate the pain caused by anal fistulas, one can first apply anti-inflammatory ointments to temporarily relieve the symptoms. It is also important to maintain cleanliness around the anal area. Hemorrhoid suppositories can be used to ease the inflammation in the anal and intestinal tract. However, to completely cure the pain from anal fistulas, besides conservative medication, surgical treatment is often necessary. The main surgical method for anal fistulas is fistulotomy with a seton placement, which thoroughly removes the local infection and prevents the recurrence of pain.

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Written by Deng Heng

Colorectal Surgery

54sec

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Can anal fistula be completely cured?

Anal fistulas rarely heal naturally, and surgery is the only treatment method to achieve healing. The reasons are as follows: Aside from an external opening on the skin around the anus, an anal fistula also has a primary infectious internal opening in the anal crypt. The two openings are interconnected, allowing bacteria and intestinal contents to enter the fistula tract through the internal opening, leading to recurrent infections. Persistent inflammation often prevents pus from draining through the external opening. There are complex relationships between the fistula and the sphincter muscles, and the frequent contraction and relaxation of the sphincter muscles can compress the tract, making it easy for pus to remain and cause infection. Therefore, surgery is necessary to completely cure an anal fistula.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing

Colorectal Surgery

1min 2sec

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What are the symptoms of anal fistula?

The clinical symptoms of anal fistula are mainly manifested as intermittent discharge of secretion from the local external opening near the anus, accompanied by varying degrees of pain in the anal area, and occasionally, pus is expelled with the stool. The main reason for its formation is that the anal fistula not only has an external opening, but also an internal opening near the dentate line of the anal canal. The internal opening discharges pus intermittently due to the stimulation of local inflammation. The composition of an anal fistula includes the internal and external openings, as well as the fistula tract that connects them; therefore, simply using medication cannot completely eliminate this lesion. The treatment of anal fistula is mainly surgical, aimed at removing the local lesion, with the principle of preserving the anal sphincter to avoid damage to it, which could affect the patient's future life.

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Written by Yang Dong

Colorectal Surgery Department

32sec

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causes of anal fistula

Anal fistula is one of the common diseases in proctology. The formation of an anal fistula is caused by infection of the anal sinuses and anal glands. Due to damage to the anal sinuses and anal glands, bacteria from the intestines enter these areas. As immunity weakens, the bacteria cause localized inflammation, which then leads to the formation of an abscess. After the abscess bursts, an anal fistula forms. This is the pathogenesis of anal fistula.