Vol. 2, Issue 4, Part A (2018)

Introduction and Background: Surgical intervention is frequently necessary for the proper management of fistula in ano, a common anorectal disease. One new option that preserves the sphincter and may lessen the likelihood of problems without sacrificing effectiveness is the LIFT technique, which stands for ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract. In this study, we will compare the LIFT approach to open fistulectomy in terms of postoperative complications, healing time, and recurrence rates in patients with ano-fistula.

Materials and Methods: In the months of October 2017 through September 2018, a prospective comparison study was carried out at the Department of General Surgery, Sambhram Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolar, Karnataka, India. Fistula in ano patients (60 total) were enrolled and split into two groups: Group A (n = 30) (Open Fistulectomy) and Group B (n = 30) (LIFT Method). Postoperative problems were noted, including pain (measured with a VAS score), infection, wound healing time, incontinence, and return. Data were analyzed with SPSS software, and a level of significance of p<0.05 was chosen.

Results: On average, patients in Group A were 42.3±8.5 years old, whereas those in Group B were 41.8±7.9 years old. After the procedure, the following results were noted: The postoperative discomfort and average healing time for patients in the open fistulectomy group were considerably higher (p<0.001) and longer (42.5±5.2 days vs. 28.3±4.8 days, p<0.001). After surgery, 26.7% of Group A patients had an infection, compared to 10.0% of Group B patients (p = 0.045). Statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between the LIFT and control groups with respect to recurrence rates (6.7% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.356). There were no reports of fecal incontinence in either group.

Conclusion: Reducing postoperative pain, decreasing infection rates, and speeding wound healing were some of the advantages of the LIFT approach over open fistulectomy. For patients whose sphincter preservation and speedy recovery are top concerns, the LIFT treatment seems to be a good alternative to traditional methods of treating fistula in ano. We suggest more research with bigger samples and longer follow-ups.