Is the recovery from a second anal fistula surgery quick?

Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on December 25, 2024
00:00
00:00

Whether the recovery from a second surgery for anal fistula is quick primarily depends on whether the surgical wound is infected and bleeding, and it is also directly related to the patient's own immunity and the size of the wound.

Generally, if the wound from the second surgery is relatively small and the patient does not have diabetes, tuberculosis, or inflammatory bowel disease, then the postoperative recovery tends to be quicker. Moreover, the patient should eat foods rich in high-quality protein and persist in changing dressings to avoid infection and bleeding of the wound, which also facilitates recovery after anal fistula surgery.

However, if the wound from the anal fistula surgery is larger and the second procedure involves the seton technique, and since the patient's second surgery is for a high complex anal fistula, the recovery time is relatively slower. Additionally, if the patient has diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, this will directly affect the postoperative recovery.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
55sec home-news-image

Is anal fistula serious?

To determine whether an anal fistula is severe, it mainly requires a digital rectal examination and probe inspection, and if necessary, supplemented with perianal ultrasound and pelvic MRI. If it is a low-lying single fistula tract, it generally is not severe and considered a low-type fistula. If the internal opening of the fistula is positioned high, or if there are multiple branches of the tract, the condition is generally more severe, classified as a high, complex fistula. Typically, the local infection will spread across the sphincter muscles, and some even reach the ischioanal fossa. Whether it is a simple low fistula or a high, complex fistula, once discovered, it requires prompt surgical treatment with fistulotomy and seton placement.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yang Dong
Colorectal Surgery Department
31sec home-news-image

What is the most accurate test for anal fistula?

As a common disease in proctology, simple anal fistulas can be diagnosed through visual inspection and palpation. For high-positioned complex anal fistulas, which cannot be accurately assessed through just visual inspection and palpation, the use of instruments may be necessary. Currently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended as the most accurate method for evaluating anal fistulas, and it is considered the gold standard for examining the course of the fistula tract and the location of the infection.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
59sec home-news-image

Is the recovery from a second anal fistula surgery quick?

Whether the recovery from a second surgery for anal fistula is quick primarily depends on whether the surgical wound is infected and bleeding, and it is also directly related to the patient's own immunity and the size of the wound. Generally, if the wound from the second surgery is relatively small and the patient does not have diabetes, tuberculosis, or inflammatory bowel disease, then the postoperative recovery tends to be quicker. Moreover, the patient should eat foods rich in high-quality protein and persist in changing dressings to avoid infection and bleeding of the wound, which also facilitates recovery after anal fistula surgery. However, if the wound from the anal fistula surgery is larger and the second procedure involves the seton technique, and since the patient's second surgery is for a high complex anal fistula, the recovery time is relatively slower. Additionally, if the patient has diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, this will directly affect the postoperative recovery.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
1min 1sec home-news-image

How to cure anal fistula completely

The radical treatment of anal fistula mainly involves surgery, with the choice of surgery being the anal fistula cutting and ligation operation. This primarily utilizes a ligature or elastic band to loop through the local sphincter, thereby achieving slow cutting and drainage of secretions. Anal fistula is considered a local infectious lesion at the anus, and the fundamental principle of the surgery is to remove the local fistula tract and the wall of the fistula completely through cutting and ligation, and after thoroughly removing the local infection, fresh granulation tissue can regrow. Due to the prolonged location of the local lesion in anal fistulas, postoperative wound dressing and drainage are very important. The wound can be disinfected daily with povidone-iodine, and gauze impregnated with oil can be used for pressurized drainage to help facilitate the flow of local secretions.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
1min 6sec home-news-image

How long does it take to recover after surgery for an anal fistula?

Healing after surgery for an anal fistula requires some time, and the longer healing duration is mainly related to two factors: The first reason is that anal fistula is a localized infectious disease of the anus with the presence of a fistula. The principle of surgery is primarily to remove the fistula. Therefore, after the surgery, the wound surface from the removed fistula wall is relatively large and requires time to heal. The second reason is that the local area around the anus is a contaminated wound, with feces passing through daily. Feces are a significant source of contamination, so the wound healing is influenced by the irritation from feces, resulting in a non-sterile wound environment. Consequently, the wound healing rate after the surgery is slower compared to the healing rate of sterile wounds in other body tissues. Therefore, the recovery time after anal fistula surgery is approximately 3 to 4 weeks.