An anal fistula is a disease that infects the area around the anus. It is most commonly found to affect the people who have a sedentary lifestyle and who have undergone any previous pelvic surgery, radiation therapy, or suffered from cancer, etc. An anal fistula is characterized as a small canal that can originate between the end of the bowel and the skin around the anus. An anal infection (boil filled with pus) is an infected cavity which is wholly filled with the pus. It is formed when anal pus infection or abscess will drain and not properly healed. There are four types of Anal Fistula which are Intersphincteric Fistula, Transphincteric Fistula, Suprasphincteric Fistula, and Extrasphincteric Fistula.
All these types of fistula can cause great distress to the person suffering from it and can experience pain, Swelling, redness and sometimes even bleed while making bowel movements. However, with the advanced techniques available nowadays to treat anal fistula, the disease has become no matter of concern.
Treatment Options for Anal Fistula
There are various treatment options for available to treat the anal fistula like the traditional surgical methods which involve Fistulotomy, Seton techniques, Advancement flap procedure, Bioprosthetic plug, LIFT procedure, and Fibrin glue procedure and the other most opted and effective procedure is the laser anal fistula treatment. Laser surgery has most opted over traditional surgical methods because it is the best treatment for fistula. Unlike traditional surgical methods laser surgery is the most advanced modern treatment which provides lots of benefits to the patients like it is minimally invasive method, there is no scarring and marks left after surgery, completely painless treatment, there are no chances of its recurrence and has high success rate, no restrictions on diet, patients can resume for their work from the very next day of surgery and there is reduced risk of infection.
The Procedure of Laser Surgery for Anal Fistula
The procedure is also very short and simple, which involves emitting laser energy through radial fiber using a probe. The probe is directly inserted into the fistulous tract which destroys the fistula epithelium and obliterates the rest of the tract. Moreover, the laser energy is used for the reduction of the blood supply which nourishes the abnormal growth of cells.
It is a daycare procedure which is performed under anesthesia and is completed in 30 minutes allowing patients to leave for home just after the surgery.
Laser surgical treatment is the best medication for Anal Fistula due to the following reasons:
- The patient does not need daily Dressings
- Sphincter-saving procedure, especially in those who have weak sphincter muscles.
- The surgery can be done in all age groups with less risk involved
- The patient can resume normal activities within 24 hours of surgery
- Safe and effective procedure.
- There are no repeated Doctor visits saving hospital costs.
- Fastest relief and recovery
FAQ’S:
Q1. Is laser treatment safe for patients?
The laser procedure for a fistula is a very safest, relatively very simple, minimally invasive, and sphincter-saving procedure with very high success rates and negligible recurrence rate.
Q2. Is fistula surgery painful?
A patient is likely to feel some pain and bleeding with bowel movements for the very first 1 to 2 weeks. Most people can go back to work and their normal routine after 1 to 2 weeks with traditional methods of surgery. But if a patient has undergone laser treatments then he/she can resume to their work from the very next day.
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