Perianal Abscess; Simple Drainage versus Drainage and Fistulotomy

Introduction: Perianal abscess is one of the most common general surgical emergencies encountered in clinical practice and the initial treatment is simple incision and drainage, other surgical procedures as fistulotomy may be required as a definitive measure for treating fistula because about 40% of patients present with a fistula after simple incision and drainage of their perianal abscesses. The aim of this study was to detect the outcome of simple drainage versus drainage and fistulotomy for perianal abscess as regard to abscess recurrence, fistula formation and time off from work. Patients and Methods: A total number of 200 patients of both sexes; 100 for each group, their ages ranged between 21- 65 years were enrolled to this parallel prospective randomized clinical trial where patients were divided randomly into two main groups; A and B. Group A patients [N =100] were subjected to simple incision & drainage and those of group B [N = 100] were subjected to drainage & fistulectomy for acute perianal abscess. End Points: The primary end points were abscess recurrence, fistula formation and incontinence. The secondary end points were time off from work, wound discharge, wound healing and patients’ satisfaction. Results: Patient’s satisfaction of the treatment maneuver in relation to abscess recurrence and fistula occurrence was 80 % and 95% of group A and B respectively. Conclusion: The present study showed that treatment of perianal abscess through the combined maneuver of incision – drainage with fistulotomy at the same time significantly reduced the likelihood of persistent abscess, recurrence and need for repeat surgery. Patient’s satisfaction after treatment with this combined method showed a significant value than incision – drainage only as regard disease recurrence, time of wound discharge and the incidence of fistula formation.