Internal Lateral Sphincterotomy in Yaounde: Comparative Short-Term Results of Open versus Closed Techniques

Background: Chronic anal fissure is a benign disorder which is associated with considerable discomfort. Aim of the Work: The aim of this study was to compare the post-operative results of open and closed internal lateral sphincterotomies in the short and medium term. Patient and Methods: We carried out a prospective randomized comparative study in the digestive and visceral surgery departments of Central Hospital of Yaounde over a period of 15 months. Patients were evaluated for each technique by several variables, including duration of surgery, post-operative pain, recurrence, surgical wound infection, gas and/or stool incontinence, and healing time with follow-up up to 12 months postoperatively. Results: A total of 63 patients underwent surgery within them we had 32 open lateral internal sphincterotomies (group 1) and 31 closed lateral internal sphincterotomies (group 2). There were 35 men and 28 women with a sex ratio of 1.25. The mean age was 35.36 ± 10.16 years with extremes ranging from 19 to 62 years. The typical presentation was pain on defecation. The majority of fissures were located at the posterior commissure. The average duration of the procedure was longer in patients in group 1 (15.34 minutes) compared to 5.22 minutes in patients in group 2. We found 3.12% of surgical wound infections in patients in group 1 and neither patient in group 2. Gas incontinence was 6.45% in group 2 patients and 28.12% in group 1. The mean intensity of pain at 24 hours post-operative was between 4 and 6 on the visual analogue scale in patients in group 2 and between 7 and 10 in group 1. Wound healing time was 8.9 days in group 1 and 4 days in group 2 patients. The hospital stay was 24 hours for both groups of patients. No recurrence was noted during the 6-month follow-up period. Conclusion: Closed lateral internal anal sphincterotomy is the treatment of choice for chronic anal fissures because it is effective and associated with a lower complication rate than the open sphincterotomy technique.