An anal fissure is a small tear in the anus. It may be caused by chronic constipation, diarrhea or pressure on the anus. It is common at all age groups and both genders. It is also common in children and adults. It may be confused with other diseases including skin tags or genital diseases. The general surgeon should be visited in case of any tear in the anus. Any home remedies or speculation on the cause of tear in the anus may cause serious problems. An anal fissure is divided into two types of acute and chronic fissures.
Types of fissures
Less than ۱۲-week anal fissure is called acute fissure. The general surgeon prescribe certain medications for treatment of acute fissures. Diet and lifestyle modification are also important in treatment of fissures and anal diseases.
An anal fissure not healed after ۱۲ weeks is called chronic fissure. It does not respond to medication. If anal fissure does not heal at early stage, the general surgeon recommends laser therapy or laser surgery.
What are Laser Therapy and Laser Surgery?
The general surgeon uses low-intensity laser radiation to cure and repair anal fissures as soon as possible. If the surgeon decided on inefficacy of laser therapy or the patients did not respond to laser therapy, laser surgery will be recommended. Sphincterotomy is a laser surgery for treatment anal fissures. Recovery period is very short and recurrence rate is very low in sphincterotomy compared to open surgery using either scalpel or cauter. The former is also less painful. The patients also less bleed in the former. Therefore, laser surgery is the best treatment option for anal fissure.
Anal fissure along with hemorrhoids
In some cases, the patient has not only develops anal fissure, but also hemorrhoids. Poor diet, lack of exercise and digestive problems are risk factors for developing hemorrhoids and anal fissure at the same time. It is very important to choose an appropriate treatment method with the shortest treatment period and recovery time in this group of patients. They are also at the risk of anal diseases. Simultaneous laser therapy of hemorrhoids and fissures is recommended at one session. It is the quickest treatment option with the least number of complications.
Laser surgery has a short recovery period. The surgeon cut and repairs a vast area of damaged tissues using laser therapy. However, open surgery of hemorrhoids and anal fissures has many limitations. The patient may not be treated in one surgery and more surgeries might be needed to completely remove all the cushions. The cost of the latter is also high. The patients should also undergo long-time surgeries and bed rest.