Chronic fissure-in-ano: A randomized study comparing open and subcutaneous lateral internal sphincterotomy

A prospective study comparing open and subcutaneous lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure was conducted. One hundred twelve patients were randomized to open (n=54) or subcutaneous (n=58) sphincterotomy. There was no significant difference in acute complications between the subcutaneous (8.6 percent) and open (7.4 percent) groups. Postoperative length of stay was significantly shorter for the subcutaneous group (1.7±0.2 days) than for the open group (2.3±0.1 days;P <0.001). Although the response rate to a pain questionnaire was <50 percent, the data suggest a lower level of postoperative pain in the subcutaneous group. Fissure healing was similar between the subcutaneous (96.6 percent) and open (94.4 percent) groups. We conclude that subcutaneous lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic fissure-in-ano is effective and may result in significantly less postoperative discomfort, shorter postoperative lengths of stay, and a comparable rate of complications compared with the open technique.     

Effect of catheter diameter on resting pressures in anal fissure patients

PURPOSE: Controversy exists as to whether fissure patients have elevated resting pressures when compared with control patients. The diameter of manometry catheters used in past studies varies widely (1.5–25 mm) and may have contributed to differences observed in resting pressures. A prospective study was undertaken to determine the influence of manometry catheter diameter on maximum resting pressure in patients with idiopathic chronic anal fissures. METHODS: A total of 28 fissure patients and 28 control patients had manometry performed with both a 1.8-mm and a 4.8-mm (external diameter) water-perfused catheter. RESULTS: Mean maximum resting pressure (RP) for fissure patients as measured with the 1.8-mm catheter was 86 (range, 65–115) mmHg and 83 (range, 47–117) mmHg with the 4.8-mm catheter (P=0.65). Mean maximum RP for control patients with the 1.8-mm catheter was 70 (range, 30–108) mmHg and 72 (range, 35–109) mmHg with the 4.8-mm catheter (P=0.07). When fissure and control patients were compared, a significantly higher mean RP was observed in the fissure group for both the 1.8-mm catheter (86 vs.70 mmHg, respectively;P=0.01) and the 4.8-mm catheter (83 vs.72 mmHg, respectively;P=0.03). There was no significant difference in length of the high-pressure zone within each group or when the fissure group and controls were compared, regardless of catheter used. For both groups of patients, there was a significantly higher incidence of ultraslow waves (USWs) observed with the 4.8-mm catheter when compared with the 1.8-mm catheter. The USW frequency was not significantly different when fissure and control groups were compared with either catheter type. CONCLUSIONS: Catheter size did not influence measured maximum RP in fissure patients. The maximum RP was significantly greater for fissure patients overall when compared with the control group, regardless of catheter used. There was an increased frequency of USWs noted with the larger catheter size in all patients; however, these USWs only became apparent when catheter was left at each station until a true baseline RP was obtained.Supported in part by a Columbia-Presbyterian Department of Surgery Research Grant.Poster presentation at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Orlando, Florida, May 8 to 13, 1994.     

Anal sphincter repair in patients with obstetric trauma

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine whether advancing age affects the outcome of anal sphincter repair in patients with obstetric trauma and fecal incontinence. METHODS: Anal sphincter repair was performed on 24 patients younger than 40 (median age, 30) years and on 14 patients older than 40 (median age, 57) years. All patients had previous obstetric trauma. RESULTS: Twenty patients younger than 40 years (83 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 63–95 percent) became continent, or incontinent to flatus only, after anal sphincter repair, whereas four patients had unchanged incontinence. Among patients older than 40 years, six patients (43 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 18–71 percent) became continent, whereas eight patients remained incontinent (40 percent difference in functional outcome between younger and older patients; 95 percent confidence interval, 10–70 percent). CONCLUSION: Older females have a poorer outcome of anal sphincter repair for obstetric trauma compared with younger females.     

Endoanal Ultrasound in the Staging and Management of Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal

PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine whether endoanal ultrasound could be used to accurately stage patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the anal canal and to determine the response of these tumors to multimodality therapy. METHODS: Thirteen consecutive patients with biopsy-proven squamous-cell carcinoma of the anal canal between 1996 and 1999 were included in the study. All patients underwent a pretreatment staging endoanal ultrasound with a B&K 3535 ultrasound machine using the 1850 rotating 360° probe with a 10-MHz transducer. Tumors were staged using our own modification of a 1984 TNM staging system. For our study, a uT1 tumor was confined to the submucosa; a uT2a lesion invaded only the internal anal sphincter; a uT2b lesion penetrated into the external anal sphincter; a uT3 lesion invaded through the sphincter complex into the perianal tissues; and a uT4 lesion invaded adjacent structures. After the initial study, patients decided on a course of treatment, either primary surgery or chemoradiation. For patients choosing chemoradiation, a clinical examination with biopsies and a repeat endoanal ultrasound was performed after completion of therapy. Findings on physical examination and biopsy results were compared with the follow-up endoanal ultrasound. For those choosing surgery, the pathology specimen from the abdominoperineal resection was reviewed and compared with the initial endoanal ultrasound interpretation to determine the accuracy of endoanal ultrasound staging. RESULTS: One patient died of complications from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome before undergoing definitive treatment for his anal cancer. Of the remaining 12 patients who comprised the study, the endoscopic staging was as follows: 1 uT1, 5 uT2a, 3 uT2b, 2 uT3, and 1 uT4. Five of the 12 patients selected surgery as the primary treatment modality for their disease. The other seven patients underwent a full course of chemoradiation. In all five patients who had an abdominoperineal resection, the surgical staging correlated with the endoanal ultrasound staging (2 T2a tumors and 3 T2b tumors). In the remaining seven patients, six to eight weeks after completion of therapy, there was no evidence of residual tumor by clinical examination and biopsies. In one of the seven patients, no abnormalities were detected on endoanal ultrasound, and it was interpreted as normal with no evidence of disease. In the remaining six patients, endoanal ultrasound revealed abnormalities that were judged to represent radiation-induced changes rather than residual disease. A repeat endoanal ultrasound was done in these patients two to four months after the biopsies. Complete resolution of the postradiation changes occurred in all patients, and the scans were interpreted as showing no evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Endoanal ultrasound can accurately determine the depth of penetration of squamous-cell carcinoma into the sphincter complex and can be used to gauge accurately the response of these tumors to chemoradiation therapy. Our newly proposed ultrasound staging system may be more useful in choosing treatment options; future studies should be aimed at using endoanal ultrasound in identifying early lesions that may be amenable to less aggressive therapy as well as determining the utility of ultrasound in the surveillance of patients after successful treatment of their initial tumors.     

Anorectal melanoma

PURPOSE: Operative management of patients with anorectal melanoma is controversial. To formulate a rational approach to patients with this disease, we reviewed our experience from 1929 to 1993. METHODS: Records of all patients treated at our center with anorectal melanoma from 1929 to the present were reviewed. Survival analyses were graphically displayed using the Kaplan-Meier productlimit method, and distributions were compared using the log-rank test. Fisher's exact test was used to compare groups with small sample sizes. RESULTS: Survival for the entire group (n = 85) was poor, 17 percent at 5 years (median, 19 months). Among the 71 patients with resectable disease, the five-year, disease-free survival distribution of patients who underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR) was more favorable than that of patients who underwent local procedures only, although this was not statistically significant (27 percentvs.5 percent, APR vs. local procedures, respectively;P=0.11). However, those who had an APR were more likely to survive long term than those who did not (P<0.05). All ten long-term survivors were women. Nine had undergone APR, and one had a wide local excision. Of the nine survivors following APR, eight had negative and one had positive mesenteric nodes. Median size of the primary tumor in survivors following APR was 2.5 cm, compared with 4.0 cm for patients who did not survive long term following APR. CONCLUSIONS: APR should be considered in patients with localized anorectal melanoma, particularly those with smaller tumors and no evidence of nodal metastases. Supported by a Richard Molin Foundation Award to Dr. Mary S. Brady.Read at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Orlando, Florida, May 8 to 13, 1994.     

超低位直肠癌行纵向部分括约肌切除术和经内外括约肌间切除术后肛门功能及生活质量比较

目的比较纵向部分括约肌切除术（PLRAs）和经内外括约肌间切除术（ISR）后直肠癌患者的肛门功能和生活质量。方法将99例超低位直肠癌患者按照手术方式的不同分为PLRAS组n=23）和ISR组（n=76）。于术后6、12及24个月,采用Saito功能问卷和Wexner评分量表评估术后的肛门功能,采用欧洲癌症研究与治疗组织开发的特为结直肠肿瘤患者而设的生活质量核心量表（EORTC-QLQ-CR29）评估术后的生活质量,并进行组间比较。结果①吻合口狭窄：与ISR组比较,在术后6个月,PLRAS组的吻合口狭窄程度较重（P〈0．001）;在术后12个月时改善并不明显,狭窄程度仍较ISR组重（P=-0．003）;在术后24个月,2组患者的吻合口狭窄程度比较差异无统计学意义（P-0．230）。②Saito功能问卷结果：术后6个月时,PLRAS组存在排便截断（P=0．016）、存在排便困难（P=0．008）及能分辨排气和排便（P〈0．001）患者的比例均较ISR组高;在术后12个月,PLRAS组能分辨排气和排便患者的比例仍较ISR组高（P=-0．017）;在术后24个月,2组间的差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。③Wexner得分结果：各时点2组患者的Wexner得分比较差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。④生活质量：在术后6个月,PLRAS组患者的会阴部疼痛得分（P=0．031）和性交困难得分（P=0．006）均高于ISR组,而排气失禁（P=0．003）、排便失禁（P=-0．043）和女性性功能（P=-0．023）得分均低于ISR组;在术后12个月,PLRAS组患者的排气失禁（P=0．012）和女性性功能（P=0．017）得分均低于ISR组,而性交困难（P=0．012）得分高于ISR组;在术后24个月,2组患者各项得分的差异均无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论PLRAS术后12个月内的肛门狭窄情况和对女性性功能的影响均较ISR术更为严重,但到术后24个月,其可达到同ISR术相似的肛门功能和生活质量。     

H2O2造影直肠腔内超声对肛瘘诊治的意义

目的：探讨H2O2造影直肠腔内超声对提高肛瘘病灶检出率及降低复发率的意义。方法：将110例肛瘘患者随机分为常规直肠腔内超声组（以下简称常规组）、H2O2造影直肠腔内超声组（以下简称H2O2组）,分别观察常规组和H2O2组主瘘管显影率、支瘘管显影率、内口显影率以及术后复发率。结果：常规组与H2O2组的主瘘管显影率分别为90.9%和92.7%,P＞0.05;支瘘管显影率分别为63.2%和85.4%,P＜0.05;内口显影率分别为49.1%和80%,P＜0.05;术后复发率分别为18.2%和5.5%,P＜0.05。结论：肛瘘患者术前行H2O2造影直肠腔内超声,对于提高肛瘘诊断准确率、微小病灶（支瘘管）检出率及降低术后复发率有重要意义。     

直肠癌保肛术前肛门功能评估的初步调查研究

目的探讨肛门直肠测压在中低位直肠癌保肛术前评估肛门功能的临床应用。方法采用肛肠动力检测系统（ARM）记录107例中低位直肠癌患者手术前的直肠肛管压力指标,采用向量测压软件分析系统临床数据。结果中低位直肠癌患者的肛管静息压比健康者轻度升高,直肠最小感觉阈值、初始排便阈值比健康者明显升高;不同性别患者的肛管长度、肛管最大收缩压差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,中位及低位直肠癌患者的肛管最大收缩压差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,〈60岁组和≥60岁组的直肠癌患者的肛管静息压、肛管最大收缩压差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论性别、年龄、肿瘤位置都是直肠癌患者肛门功能的影响因素。肛门直肠测压可以了解中低位直肠癌患者肛门内外括约肌的情况和评估患者的持便控便能力。     

红油膏和八宝生肌散联合西药对肛瘘术后的疗效观察

为观察红油膏和八宝生肌散联合西药对肛瘘术后的临床效果,将肛瘘患者80例随机分为观察组和对照组,每组40例,对照组40例患者采用常规西药治疗,观察组40例患者在常规西药治疗的基础上加用红油膏、八宝生肌散治疗,比较两组患者的临床疗效。结果显示,治疗后,观察组患者的总有效率为92．5％,对照组为80．0％,观察组明显高于对照组（P〈0．05）。用药3d、10d后,观察组患者的疼痛评分、创面渗液评分均明显优于对照组（P〈0．05）,观察组患者的创面愈合时间明显短于对照组,住院费用明显低于对照组。结果表明,红油膏和八宝生肌散联合西药对肛瘘术后患者具有显著的疗效,可加快手术创口的愈合,明显改善患者的临床症状,缓解局部疼痛等不适,提高患者的生活质量。