BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of tunnel-like fistulectomy plus draining seton combined with incision of internal opening of anal fistula (TFSIA) in the treatment of high transsphincteric anal fistula.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 80 patients with high transsphincteric anal fistula randomly divided into TFSIA group and control group, 40 cases in each group. The control group was treated with cutting seton, and the seton was tightened weekly after discharge from the hospital until the seton dropped off. In the TFSIA group, the anal fistula was dissected and resected in tunnel-like form through the external opening to the intersphinceteric space, drained with seton through the tunnel, and cut open the internal opening of the anal fistula and the intersphincteric space and expanded the drainage. The operative time, blood loss, postoperative uroschesis, anal wound pain score, healing time, Wexner anal incontinence score, keyhole-like deformity, and recurrence rate were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: The differences of the blood loss, operative time, anal wound pain score at 6 hours after operation, postoperative uroschesis and the recurrence rate after operation were not statistically significant (P>0.05), but the TFSIA were better than the control group in the anal wound pain score at 1 week after operation, healing time, Wexner anal incontinence score, and anal keyhole-like deformity rate (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: TFSIA is effective in treating high transsphincteric anal fistula, and it can reduce adverse complications after operation.

Keywords: Drainage, Fistula, Postoperative Complications, Anal Canal, Perioperative Care, Rectal Fistula, young adult