OBJECTIVETo verify the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion on defecating and pain symptoms in postoperative patient of anal fissure.

METHODSTwo hundred cases of postoperation of anal fissure were randomly divided into an acupuncture-moxibustion group and a medication group, 100 cases in each one. The basic treatment after the surgery was the same in two groups, besides, acupuncture was applied at Zhongliao (BL 33) and Xialiao (BL 34) in the morning of first 5 days of postoperative 24 h in the acupuncture-moxibustion group, and suspended moxibusiton was applied at Changqiang (GV 1) within 5 to 10 min after defecation; while two bags of forlax was orally administrated in the morning of first 5 days of postoperative 24 h in the medication group. The pain intensity, defecation willingness, defecation difficulty and stool texture during postoperative defecation were observed.

RESULTSThe defecation pain on the first two days after the treatment was not statistically significant between two groups (both P > 0.05). From the third day of treatment, the improvements of defecation pain in acupuncture-moxibustion group were more obvious than those in the medication group (all P < 0.05). The patients in the acupuncture-moxibustion group had more positive defecation willingness than those in the medication group (all P < 0.05). The differences of defecation difficulty and stool properties in two groups had no statistical significance (both P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe intervention treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion has clinical significance on relieving pain symptoms and improving defecation willingness in postoperative patient of anal fissure.