What are the precautions after undergoing anal fistula surgery?

Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on March 02, 2025
00:00
00:00

Because anal fistula surgery primarily involves removing the internal opening and the fistula tract, the postoperative wound is relatively large. Postoperative care mainly requires consistent dressing changes to ensure the wound drainage remains unobstructed, avoiding infection or false healing. Additionally, patients should develop good bowel habits, maintain smooth bowel movements, and avoid withholding stool. Otherwise, this may lead to dry, hard stools, causing severe pain during defecation or damaging the wound, which could result in bleeding or edema. In terms of diet, patients should choose foods rich in roughage to ensure smooth defecation and eat foods rich in high-quality protein to supplement the amino acids the body needs, promoting wound healing as much as possible. Moreover, after surgery, patients must use an anal wash or potassium permanganate solution for sitz baths. Since the postoperative wound is open and contaminated, changing dressings is especially important.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Deng Heng
Colorectal Surgery
54sec home-news-image

Can anal fistula be completely cured?

Anal fistulas rarely heal naturally, and surgery is the only treatment method to achieve healing. The reasons are as follows: Aside from an external opening on the skin around the anus, an anal fistula also has a primary infectious internal opening in the anal crypt. The two openings are interconnected, allowing bacteria and intestinal contents to enter the fistula tract through the internal opening, leading to recurrent infections. Persistent inflammation often prevents pus from draining through the external opening. There are complex relationships between the fistula and the sphincter muscles, and the frequent contraction and relaxation of the sphincter muscles can compress the tract, making it easy for pus to remain and cause infection. Therefore, surgery is necessary to completely cure an anal fistula.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
52sec home-news-image

Can an anal fistula be left untreated for a lifetime?

If diagnosed with an anal fistula, one should not forego treatment indefinitely, as an anal fistula is a localized infectious disease of the anal region. Without active treatment, the infection may further spread, increase the number of fistula branches, and potentially induce a high, complex anal fistula. There is also a risk that the fistula and the infection might penetrate the local anal sphincter, reaching the ischioanal fossa and causing other infectious diseases. The primary treatment method for anal fistulas is surgical, mainly involving fistulotomy with seton placement, which thoroughly removes the local infection, allowing the anal fistula to heal. Neglecting active treatment could worsen the condition or increase the difficulty of future surgeries.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
1min 11sec home-news-image

What are the consequences of not treating anal fistulas?

Since an anal fistula is caused by the infection and inflammation of the anal glands, it connects the rectum or anal canal with the skin around the anus, forming repeated abscesses, pain, and discharge of pus and blood around the anus. If an anal fistula is not treated, more fistula tracts will develop over time, and more of the muscles around the anus will become infected. This can even lead to high, complex anal fistulas, making surgical treatment later on more difficult and could easily lead to anal incontinence. Also, if an anal fistula is left untreated for a long time, there is the possibility of malignant transformation. Therefore, in clinical practice, it is recommended to undertake surgical treatment for anal fistulas as early as possible. The surgery for an anal fistula mainly involves the removal of the internal opening and the fistula tract, which is essential for a complete cure. Postoperatively, it is necessary to persist in changing dressings to avoid infection or pseudohealing at the wound site. Moreover, patients should be mindful of their diet.

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

How is an anal fistula treated?

The treatment methods for anal fistula mainly involve surgery. Conservative medication for anal fistula does not provide a definitive cure but can alleviate the inflammatory symptoms triggered during acute episodes by using anti-inflammatory symptomatic drugs. The surgical method primarily used for anal fistula is the fistulotomy with seton placement. This procedure involves cutting the local sphincter either partially or completely using a thread, while preserving the function of the surrounding sphincter and thoroughly removing the fistula tract wall to further eliminate the local lesions. After the surgery, due to the large wound area, it is recommended that patients stay in the hospital for dressing changes and symptomatic treatment to avoid complications like poor healing leading to pseudo-healing or wound infection. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
1min 7sec home-news-image

Is a second surgery for an anal fistula more difficult than the first one?

Relative to the initial procedure, a second surgery for anal fistula is more difficult. The main goal of anal fistula surgery is to remove the internal opening and the fistula tract completely to cure the condition. During a second surgery for an anal fistula, due to the previous operation, the internal opening may be unclear, and it can be difficult to distinguish between the fistula and scar tissue. This can lead to incomplete removal by less experienced surgeons, increasing the likelihood of the fistula recurring later. Therefore, for a second surgery on an anal fistula, it is essential to undergo the procedure in a specialized colorectal department at a provincial-level top-rated hospital. It is recommended to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the anal region before surgery to ensure precise operation and complete removal of the internal opening and fistula tract. Proper postoperative dressing changes are also crucial to avoid infection and inflammation of the wound, which will help with normal recovery after the surgery.