Re-examination of clinical manifestations and response to therapy of fissure-in-ano

PURPOSE: This study was designed to reassess clinical manifestations of fissure-in-ano, in particular, the frequency of constipation and rate of response to medical management. METHODS: Records of 876 patients with fissure-in-ano seen between February 1975 and December 1993 were reviewed. Information gathered included age, gender, site, symptoms, bowel habits, associated anorectal problems, response, failure, and recurrence rates. RESULTS: There were 439 women (51.1 percent) and 437 men (49.9 percent); mean age was 39.9 (range, 13.5-95) years. The fissure was located in the posterior mid line in 644 patients (73.5 percent), the anterior mid line in 144 patients (16.4 percent), both in 23 patients (2.6 percent), and only tenderness documented in 65 patients (7.4 percent). The fissure was located in the anterior midline in 12.6 percent of women and 7.7 percent of men. Dominant presenting symptoms included pain in 90.8 percent and bleeding in 71.4 percent of patients. Infrequent hard bowel movements (greater than or equal to 3 days) occurred in only 13.8 percent of patients. Mean follow-up was 26 (range, 0.5-215) months. A total of 44.7 percent of patients responded to nonoperative therapy, 60 percent of them in the first two months; of these, 18.6 percent developed recurrent symptoms. Of the latter group, GO percent responded to further medical therapy, and 20 percent underwent a lateral internal sphincterotomy. Of the patients who initially did not respond to medical treatment (50.5 percent), lateral internal sphincterotomy was recommended. CONCLUSION: Anterior fissures are much more common in both men and women than previously reported, and constipation and hard bowel movement are not universally present in patients with fissure-in-ano.