Fistula is an abnormal condition in which there is a tunnel from the end of bowel movement to the skin around the anus. When the anus is filled up with fluids that get clogged then it leads to infectious tissues. It is common in both men and women.
What are the Symptoms of Fistula?
• Throbbing pain that worsens on sitting
• Swelling, tenderness, itching or redness around the anus
• Discharge of pus, blood, and debris which is usually foul smelling
• Pain associated with bowel movements
• Fever
What are the causes of Fistula?
• Anorectal abscess
• Conditions that cause inflammation of the intestines like Crohn's disease, Diverticulitis.
• Infections - Tuberculosis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases
• Iatrogenic - As a complication of previous surgery in the region.
Laser Treatment for Fistula
There is a number of treatment methods for fistula. Conventional treatment methods are Fistulectomy and Ksharsutra. Recent treatment methods are VAAFT (Video Assisted Anal fistula Treatment), LIFT (Ligation of Interspincteric Fistula Tract ), FiLac (Fistula Tract Laser Closure) and DLPL (Distal Ligation Proximal Laser). Ksharsutra is a minimally invasive technique. It requires no cuts, no stitches but it is a lengthy process and requires multiple weekly sessions of the treatment. In VAAFT there are no wounds but there are high rates of recurrence with this method. LIFT is used for complex fistula cases. The success rate of LIFT is ~70% with impaired healing in 20-30% cases. FiLac has excellent healing rate as compared to all other treatment methods. It is done in complicated fistulas like recto-inguinal, recto-gluteal fistulas. Most of the techniques like VAAFT, LIFT, FiLaC achieve the primary purpose of closing the fistula and saving the sphincter. All of them have their own rate of recurrence.
DLPL technique was devised at Healing Hands Clinic in India by Dr. Ashwin Porwal. He has successfully treated more than 1000 patients suffering from fistula and more than 100 patients having a case of complex fistula has been successfully treated by him and there was not even a single case of recurrence after surgery.
What are the benefits of laser Treatment or Surgery?
• There is no excision
• It is performed in just a few minutes
• There is very little pain after surgery which can be easily cured with medicines
• There is no need for special hygiene
Healing Hands Clinic is a certified center of excellence for the treatment of fistula having centers at Pune, Chinchwad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Chakan, Nashik, and Bengaluru. It deals with all type of anorectal disorders such as piles, fistula, constipation, fissure, hernia, and others.
Proctologist at Healing Hands Clinic