OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Dong's extraordinary point needling technique on postoperative complications of anal fistula. METHODS: A total of 241 patients undergoing anal fistula surgery were randomly divided into an observation group (121 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (120 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients in the control group were treated with intramuscular injection of compound diclofenac sodium injection and oral administration of tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained release capsules. In addition to the treatment in the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with Daoma needling technique at the "Sanqi points" (Qimen point, Qijiao point, and Qizheng point) combined with Dongqi needling technique at "Sanhuang points" (sub-Tianhuang point, Dihuang point, Renhuang point), with each session lasting 30 min. The treatment in the two groups both started on the first day after surgery, and was given once daily for 14 consecutive days. Visual analog scale (VAS) score was compared between the two groups on postoperative day 1, 7, and 14; bladder residual urine volume, spontaneous voiding volume, and urinary catheterization frequency were assessed after treatment on postoperative day 1; and anorectal dynamic indexes (anal canal resting pressure, rectal resting pressure, maximum squeeze pressure of the anal canal, and minimum rectal sensory threshold) were evaluated before surgery and on postoperative day 4. Clinical efficacy was assessed in both groups one month after surgery. RESULTS: On postoperative day 7 and 14, the VAS scores of both groups were lower than those on postoperative day 1 (P<0.05), and the VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The bladder residual urine volume and urinary catheterization frequency in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), while the spontaneous voiding volume was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). On postoperative day 4, the anal canal resting pressure, maximum squeeze pressure of the anal canal, and the minimum rectal sensory threshold were lower than preoperative values (P<0.05), while the rectal resting pressure was higher than preoperative value (P<0.05) in both groups. The anal canal resting pressure, maximum squeeze pressure of the anal canal, and minimum rectal sensory threshold were lower than those in the control group, and the rectal resting pressure was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The effective rate was 93.2% (110/118) in the observation group, which was higher than 84.7% (100/118) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Dong's extraordinary point needling technique could reduce postoperative pain, alleviate urinary retention, and improve defecation in patients undergoing anal fistula surgery.
Humans ; Rectum ; Rectal Fistula/surgery* ; Anal Canal/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Anus Diseases ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Acupuncture Points

Objective: To explore the possibility that the intestinal flora profile in complex anal fistula patients is different to that of healthy controls. This was assessed by sequencing of 16S rDNA in fecal samples from cohorts representing these populations. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 30 complex anal fistula patients and 30 matched healthy controls. Patients were included if they met the diagnostic criteria of cryptoglandular anal fistula and had exhibited symptoms for more than 3 months. Complex anal fistula is diagnosed under the following circumstances: if the fistula in question spans 2/3 or more of the diameter of the anal sphincter; if there are more than two external orifices or fistula tracks; or if recurrence is observed after previous anal fistula surgery. Patients were excluded if there were comorbities including inflammatory bowel disease (as assessed by colonoscopy), chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, diabetes, gastrointestinal malignancies, liver/ kidney dysfunction, or cognitive impairment. Patients whose anal fistulas were caused by Crohn's disease, trauma, special infections (such as actinomycosis and tuberculosis) were also excluded, as were those who had used antibiotics, prebiotics, or probiotics that may affect intestinal microecology in the month prior to the study. Total bacterial genomic DNA was extracted by PCR amplification of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA sequences. High-throughput sequencing and data analysis were performed on the Illumina Miseq platform. Finally, operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering, alpha diversity and LEfSE data analysis were carried out. The larger the Chao or ACE index is, the higher the species abundance of the microflora is expected to be. Similarly, a smaller value for the Simpson index or a larger value for the Shannon index indicates greater microflora diversity. There was no statistically significant difference in gender, age, body mass index (BMI), drinking history, or smoking history between the two groups (P>0.05), indicating that they were comparable. Results: The α-diversity analysis including ACE, Chao, Shannon and Simpson indexes indicated a richer diversity of intestinal microflora in complex anal fistula patients than in healthy controls. In both patients and controls, OUT cluster analysis demonstrated that 93.4%±32.0% and 87.4%±41.2% of sequences were from Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes spp., respectively. On a genus level, samples from anal fistula patients showed a greater abundance of Prevotella spp. (4.9%±7.4% vs. 0.1%±1.1%, P<0.001), Megamonas (3.9%±8.2% vs. 0.5%±4.2%, P<0.05) and Lachnospira (2.6%±5.7% vs. 0.1%±3.4%, P<0.05), while showing a lesser abundance of Proteobacteria spp. (0.02%±4.2% vs. 9.3%±14.4%, P<0.01), Enterococcus (0.02%±2.3% vs. 9.3%±19.6%, P<0.05), Bacteroides (24.7%±9.9% vs. 29.8%±9.1%, P<0.05) and Klebsiella (0.4%±4.2% vs. 3.9%±7.3%, P<0.05) compared with healthy controls. Intestinal flora diversity in the complex anal fistula group was richer than in controls, as indicated by a higher ACE index (293.30±44.00 vs. 218.75±33.83, t=102.069, P<0.001), a higher Chao index (318.40±41.99 vs. 250.00±46.38, t=77.818, P=0.028), a higher Shannon index (3.36±0.29 vs. 2.43±0.34, t=9.657, P=0.001), and a lower Simpson index (0.103±0.013 vs. 0.131±0.013, t=5.551, P=0.046). LDA effect size analysis suggests that the main strains of Veillonellaceae, Selenemondales and Negativicutes, which all belong to the phylum Firmicutes, have the greatest influence on the above difference (LDA>4). Conclusions: The diversity of intestinal flora in patients with complex anal fistula is greater than in healthy controls, suggesting that these bacteria or their metabolites may be involved in the occurrence and development of anal fistulas.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria/genetics* ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Rectal Fistula/surgery*

Anal Canal/surgery* ; Humans ; Rectal Fistula/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at METHODS: The data of 318 patients undergoing anal fistula surgery were analyzed retrospectively. In accordance with whether accepted the combined treatment with EA at bilateral RESULTS: For VAS score, there was an interaction between therapeutic method and treatment duration ( CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture at
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Rectal Fistula/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies

Anal fistula is one of the most common diseases in colorectal and anal surgery. Most of them are formed after the abscess of perianal space reptures. Due to the complexity and diversity of pathological changes, the clinical efficacy of some patients is not optimistic, and there may even be serious surgical complications, including delayed healing of anal fistula or varying degrees of fecal incontinence, which significantly affect the quality of life of patients and even lead to disability. The Working Committee of Clinical Guidelines of Anorectal Physicians Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized some domestic experts to discuss and prepare this expert consensus. It is suggested that comprehensive evaluation of anal fistula, including detailed medical history, physical examination and necessary auxiliary examination should be conducted before treatment. Auxiliary examinations include fistulography, ultrasound, CT or MRI. The purpose of the auxiliary examination is to accurately determine the position of the internal orifice of the anal fistula, the direction of the fistula and its relationship with the anal sphincter. Adenogenic anal fistula needs surgical treatment after diagnosis. The operation methods can be divided into two types: operations breaching sphincter and operations preserving sphincter function. The former includes anal fistulectomy, anal fistulotomy and seton placement; the latter includes ligation of intersphincteric fistula (LIFT), rectal mucosal muscle flap advancement repair, anal fistula laser closure, video-assisted anal fistula treatment, etc. It is suggested to select or combine the application according to the specific condition of patients. Bioabsorbable materials include anal fistula plug and fibrin glue. Due to the characteristics of retaining sphincter function and reusability, it is recommended to be used selectively by qualified and experienced doctors. Proper wound management after anal fistula surgery can reduce the pain of patients, promote healing and reduce the recurrence of anal fistula. Because there is a certain risk of recurrence and fecal incontinence after anal fistula surgery, for some patients with complex condition, repeated operations or impaired anal function, we must be careful when choosing reoperation, and weigh the benefits of patients and the risk of fecal incontinence.
Anal Canal/surgery* ; China ; Consensus ; Fecal Incontinence/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Rectal Fistula/surgery* ; Reoperation/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether MRI fusion technology (combined T2-weighted imaging [T2WI] and fat-suppressed T2WI [T2WI-(FS)]) improves signal differences between anal fistulas and surrounding structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 32 patients with confirmed diagnoses of anal fistula were retrospectively studied. All available T2WI and T2WI-(FS) images for each patient were used to generate fusion image (T2WI-(Fusion)) based on the addition of gray values obtained from each pixel via an MR post-processing work station. The discriminability of fistula, perianal sphincter, and perianal fat in T2WI, T2WI-(FS), and T2WI-(Fusion) images was quantified with Fisher's scoring algorithm. For subjective visual image assessment by researchers, five-point scale scores were determined using a modified double-stimulus continuous quality-scale test to evaluate T2WI-(FS), T2WI, enhanced axial three-dimensional-volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (3D-VIBE), and T2WI-(Fusion) sequence images. The differences were subsequently compared. RESULTS: Mean Fisher scores for fistulas vs. sphincters obtained from T2WI-(Fusion) (F(Fusion-fistula) = 6.56) were significantly higher than those from T2WI (F(T2WI-fistula) = 3.35) (p = 0.001). Mean Fisher scores for sphincters vs. fat from T2WI-(Fusion) (F(Fusion-sphincter) = 10.84) were significantly higher than those from T2WI-(FS) (FS(FS-sphincter) = 2.57) (p = 0.001). In human assessment, T2WI-(Fusion) showed the same fistula discriminability as T2WI-(FS), and better sphincter discriminability than T2WI. Overall, T2WI-(Fusion) showed better discriminability than T2WI, T2WI-(FS), and enhanced 3D-VIBE images. CONCLUSION: T2WI and T2WI-(FS) fusion technology improves signal differences between anal fistulas and surrounding structures, and may facilitate better evaluation of anal fistulas and sphincters.
Anal Canal ; Diagnosis ; Fistula ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Rectal Fistula ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Perianal adenocarcinoma arising from a chronic anorectal fistula is a rare condition for which the natural history and optimal management are not well established. For that reason, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 5 consecutive patients with a perianal adenocarcinoma arising from a chronic anorectal fistula managed at our institution from January 2014 to December 2015. METHODS: The patients were identified from a prospectively collected colorectal cancer database that included all patients managed for colorectal cancer at our institution. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 64 years (range, 55–72 years). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the initial investigation for all patients and showed a hyperintense T2-weighted image. One patient underwent an abdominoperineal resection following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and remained disease free during the 12-month follow-up. Three patients received neoadjuvant therapy with intent for surgery, but did not undergo surgery due to either worsening health or metastatic spread. One patient declined intervention. The median overall survival was 10.5 months (range, 2–19 months). CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion is required to make a clinical diagnosis of an anal adenocarcinoma arising from a chronic fistula. Histologic diagnosis must be achieved to confirm the diagnosis. Multimodal therapy with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by abdominoperineal resection is the treatment of choice.
Adenocarcinoma ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Natural History ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Fistula ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Bioprosthetic plugs are appealing, allow simple, repeatable applications, preserve sphincter integrity, minimize patient discomfort, and allow subsequent surgical options when needed. However, success rates vary widely. This study assessed the healing rate in our department when both the Cook-Surgisis and the Gore fistula plugs were used and the long-term effectiveness of using anal plugs for managing anal fistulae. METHODS: A chart review was performed for patients who had undergone plug insertion between January 2008 and December 2015 at Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre. Data were collected through a prospectively collected database. Plugs were inserted according to guidance provided by 2 experienced surgeons. Long-term results were determined by clinical visits 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery and once yearly thereafter. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2015, 36 fistula plugs were inserted. During the follow-up period with a median duration of 18 months (range, 7–60 months), the fistulae of 52.8% of the patients healed. The plug failure rate was 44.4%, and the fistula recurrence rate was 26.3%. The median time to recurrence was 12 months. The overall success rate for plug treatment in our department was 39% when adjusted for recurrence. CONCLUSION: The use of bioprosthetic plugs to treat patients with complex anal fistulae seems to be a safe, viable option for complex fistula repair when other surgical attempts have failed. However, it should not be the treatment of choice. Further prospective randomized studies with a sufficient sample-size and standardized measurements are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of fistula plugs fully.
Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Fistula ; Recurrence ; Surgeons

PURPOSE: Surgery is the only treatment for anal fistula. Many surgical techniques have been described. The aim of this study was to communicate the authors' preliminary experience in the use of a recently proposed, simplified technique. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 28 patients admitted from January 13, 2016 through July 20, 2017. Patients were managed with the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) technique and results were observed and documented, including recurrence rate, incontinence rate, and other postoperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients were studied. The mean operation time was 31 minutes (range, 23–44 minutes), and there were no intra- and postoperative complications. The overall complete healing rate was 85.7%, and the recurrence rate was 14.2%. Follow-up was conducted at 1, 3, and 6 months. CONCLUSION: Many surgical techniques have been described for the treatment of anal fistula. The correct choice of surgical technique out of available procedures is the most important factor for proper treatment and reducing the risk of recurrence or incontinence. In the authors' experience, the LIFT technique is simple and easy to learn, and is a good choice for the treatment of simple anal fistula; however, a tailored surgery remains the gold standard for this condition.
Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ligation ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Fistula ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) after low anterior resection for rectal cancer is a type of anastomotic leakage. The aim of this study was to find out the difference of leakage, according to RVF presence or absence and to identify the optimal strategy for RVF. METHODS: All female patients who underwent low anterior resection with colorectal anastomosis or coloanal anastomosis (n = 950) were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' demographics and perioperative outcomes were analyzed between the RVF group and leakage without the RVF (nRVF) group. We performed 4 types of procedures—primary repair, diverting stoma, redo coloanal anastomosis (RCA), and conservative procedure—to treat RVF, and calculated the success rates of each type of procedure. RESULTS: The leakage occurred in 47 patients (4.9%). Among them, 18 patients (1.9%) underwent an RVF and 29 (3.0%) underwent nRVF. The RVF group received more perioperative radiotherapy (27.8% vs. 3.4%, P < 0.015) and occurred late onset after surgery (181.3 ± 176.4 days vs. 23.2 ± 53.6 days, P < 0.001) more than did the nRVF group. In multivariate analysis for the risk factor of the RVF group, the RVF group was statistically associated with less than 5 cm of anastomosis more than was the no-leakage group. A total of 35 procedures were performed in 18 patients with RVF for treatment. RCA showed satisfactory success rates (85.7%, n = 6) and, primary repair (transanal or transvaginal) showed acceptable success rate (33.3%, n = 8). CONCLUSION: After low anterior resection for rectal cancer, RVF was strongly correlated with a lower level of primary tumor location. Among the patients who underwent leakages, receipt of perioperative radiotherapy was significantly high in the RVF group than that of the nRVF group. Additionally, this study suggests that RCA might be considered another successful treatment strategy for RVF.
Anastomotic Leak ; Colectomy ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Radiotherapy ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Rectovaginal Fistula ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors