Abstract
Purpose
Lateral internal sphincterotomy has been the gold standard treatment for chronic anal fissure, but it still carries the risk of permanent damage of the anal sphincter, which has led to the implementation of alternative treatment like botulinum toxin injection. The aim of this randomized prospective controlled trial was to compare the efficacy and morbidity of botulinum toxin injection and lateral internal sphincterotomy in the treatment of chronic anal fissure.
Methods
Fifty consecutive adults with chronic anal fissure were randomly treated with either lateral internal sphincterotomy or botulinum toxin (BT) injection with 50 U BT into the internal sphincter. The complications, healing and recurrence rate, and incontinence score were assessed 2, 3, 6, 12 months after the procedure.
Results
Inspection at the 2-month visit revealed complete healing of the fissure in 11 (44 %) of the patients in the BT group and 22 (88 %) of the patients in the lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) group (p = 0.001). At the 3-month visit, there was no significant difference between the two groups in healing. The overall recurrence rate after 6 months in the BT group was higher than in the LIS group (p < 0.05). In the 3-month follow-up, the LIS group had a higher rate of anal incontinence compared to the BT group (p < 0.05). The final percentage of incontinence was 4 % in the LIS group (p > 0.05).
Conclusions
The treatment of chronic anal fissure must be individualized depending on the different clinical profiles of patients. Botulinum toxin injection has a higher recurrence rate than LIS, and LIS provides rapid and permanent recovery. However, LIS carries a higher risk of anal incontinence in patients.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Oh C, Divino CM, Steinhagen RM (1995) Anal fissure. 20-year experience. Dis Colon Rectum 38:378–382
Rohde H (2003) The pathogenetic mechanism causing anal fissure. Int J Colorectal Dis 18:95
Collins EE, Lund JN (2007) A review of chronic anal fissure management. Tech Coloproctol 11:209–223
Griffin N, Acheson AG, Tung P, Sheard C, Glazebrook C, Scholefield JH (2004) Quality of life in patients with chronic anal fissure. Colorectal Dis 6:39–44
Sailer M, Bussen D, Debus ES, Fuchs KH, Thiede A (1998) Quality of life in patients with benign anorectal disorders. Br J Surg 85:1716–1719
Weaver RM, Ambrose NS, Alexander-Williams J et al (1987) Manual dilatation of the anus vs. lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy in the treatment of chronic fissure-in-ano. Results of a prospective, randomized, clinical trial. Dis Colon Rectum 30:420–423
Abcarian H (1980) Surgical correction of chronic anal fissure: results of lateral internal sphincterotomy vs. fissurectomy-midline sphincterotomy. Dis Colon Rectum 23:31–36
Leong AF, Seow-Choen F (1995) Lateral sphincterotomy compared with anal advancement flap for chronic anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 38:69–71
Nyam DC, Pemberton JH (1999) Long-term results of lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure with particular reference to incidence of fecal incontinence. Dis Colon Rectum 42:1306–1310
Mínguez M, Melo F, Espí A et al (1999) Therapeutics effects of different doses of botulinum toxin in chronic anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 42:1016–1021
Jost W (2002) Ten years experience with botulin toxin in anal fissure. Int J Colorectal Dis 17:287–297
Brisinda G, Maria G, Bentivoglio AR et al (1999) A comparison of injections of botulinum toxin and topical nitroglycerin ointment for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. N Engl J Med 341:65–69
Maria G, Brisinda G, Bentivoglio AR et al (2000) Influence of botulinum toxin site of injections on healing rate in patients with chronic anal fissure. Am J Surg 179:46–50
Brisinda G, Maria G, Sganga G et al (2002) Effectiveness of higher doses of botulinum toxin to induce healing in patients with chronic anal fissures. Surgery 131:179–184
Richard CS, Gregoire R, Plewes EA et al (2000) Internal sphincterotomy is superior to topical nitroglycerin in the treatment of chronic anal fissure: results of a randomized, controlled trial by the Canadian Colorectal Surgical Trials Group. Dis Colon Rectum 43:1048–1057
Evans JE, Luck A, Hewett P (2001) Glyceryl trinitate vs lateral sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure. Prospective, randomized trial. Dis Colon Rectum 44:93–97
Maria G, Sganga G, Civello IM et al (2002) Botulinum neurotoxin and other treatments for fissure-in-ano and pelvic floor disorders. Br J Surg 89:950–961
Shao WJ, Li GC, Zhang ZK (2009) Systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails comparing botulinum toxin injection with lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure. Int J Colorectal Dis 24:995–1000
Klein AW (2001) Complications and adverse reactions with the use of botulinum toxin. Semin Cutan Med Surg 20:109–120
Maria G, Cassetta E, Gui D, Brisinda G, Bentivoglio AR, Albanese A (1998) A comparison of botulinum toxin and saline for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. N Engl J Med 338:217–220
Jost WH (1997) One hundred cases of anal fissure treated with botulinum toxin. Early and long term results. Dis Colon Rectum 40:1029–1032
Gui D, Cassetta E, Asastasio G, Bentivoglio AR, Maria G, Albanese A (1994) A comparison of botulinum toxin and saline for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. Lancet 344:1127–1128
Church JM, Fleshman JW, Kane RL et al (1999) Patient and surgeon ranking of the severity of symptoms associated with fecal incontinence: the fecal incontinence severity index. Dis Colon Rectum 42:1525–1532
Jorge JMN, Wexner SD (1993) Etiology and management of fecal incontinence. Dis Colon Rectum 36:77–97
Jost WH, Schimrigk K (1993) Use of botulinum toxin in anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 36:974
Mentes BB, Irkorucu O, Akin M, Leventoglu S, Tatlicioglu E (2003) Comparison of botulinum toxin injection and lateral Internal sphincterotomy for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 46:232–237
Arroyo A, Perez F, Serrano P, Candela F, Lacueva J, Calpena R (2005) Surgical versus chemical (botulinum toxin) sphincterotomy For chronic anal fissure: long-term results of a prospective randomized clinical and manometric study. Am J Surg 189:429–434
Massoud BW, Mehrdad V, Baharak T, Alireza Z (2005) Botulinum toxin injection versus internal anal sphincterotomy For the treatment of chronic anal fissure. Ann Saudi Med 25:140–142
Iswariah H, Stephens J, Rieger N, Rodda D, Hewett P (2005) Randomized prospective controlled trial of lateral internal sphincterotomy versus injection of botulinum toxin for the treatment of idiopathic fissure in ano. ANZ J Surg 75:553–555
Acheson AG, Scholefield JH (2005) Anal fissure: the changing management of a surgical condition. Langenbecks Arch Surg 390:1–7
Nelson R (2004) A systemic review of medical therapy for anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 47:422–431
Giral A, Memisoglu K, Gultekin Y et al (2004) Botulinum toxin injection versus lateral internal sphincterotomy in the treatment chronic anal fissure: a non-randomized controlled trial. BMC Gastroenterol 4:7
Maria G, Brisinda G, Bentivoglio AR et al (1998) Botulinum toxin injections in the internal anal sphincter for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. Long-term results after two different dosage regimens. Ann Surg 228:664–669
Minguez M, Herreros B, Espi A et al (2002) Long-term follow-up (42 months) of chronic anal fissure alter healing with botulinum Toxin. Gastroenterology 123:112–117
Hallett M (1999) One man’s poison—clinical applications of botulinum toxin. N Engl J Med 341:118–120
Pitt J, Willilams S, Dawson PM (2001) Reason for failure of glyceryl trinitrate treatment of chronic fissure-in-ano. A multivariate analysis. Dis Colon Rectum 44:864–867
Aivaz O, Rayhanabad J, Nguyen V et al (2009) Botulinum toxin A with fissurectomy is a viable alternative to lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure. Am Surg 75:925–928
Huppe D, Enck P, Kruskemper G et al (1992) Psychosocial aspects of fecal incontinence. Leber Megan Darm 22:138–142
Conflicts of interests
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Valizadeh, N., Jalaly, N.Y., Hassanzadeh, M. et al. Botulinum toxin injection versus lateral internal sphincterotomy for the treatment of chronic anal fissure: randomized prospective controlled trial. Langenbecks Arch Surg 397, 1093–1098 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-012-0948-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-012-0948-2