Traditional herbal enema combined with vacuum sealing drainage for perianal abscess

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of traditional herbal enema combined with vacuum sealing drainage in the treatment of perianal abscess. Methods A total of 87 patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into control group (43 cases) and study group (44 cases) by random number table method. The control group was treated with vacuum sealing drainage. The study group was given traditional herbal enema on the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 20 days and followed up for 6 months. The WBC, neutrophil count (NEU) and neutrophil percentage (NEU%) was measured by automatic blood cell analyzer, and the hospitalization and wound healing time was recorded. The recurrence rate of abscess and secondary anal fistula was observed during the follow-up period. Results The total effective rate was 97.7% (43/44) in the study group and 88.4% (38/43) in the control group. There was significant differences between the two groups (χ2=4.010, P=0.045). The hospitalization time (14.2 ± 0.6 d vs. 17.0 ± 1.2 d, t=13.970) and wound healing time (45.6 ± 0.7 d vs. 48.7 ± 1.2 d, t=15.216) in the study group was significantly shorter than those in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the WBC, NEU and NEU% level in the study group was significantly lower than those in the control group (t=23.318, 12.827, 46.630, all Ps<0.01). After 6 months of follow-up, the recurrence rate of abscess and the secondary anal fistula rate in the study group was significantly lower than those in the control group(χ2=12.813, 4.225, respectively, P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusions Traditional herbal enema combined with vacuum sealing drainage can significantly shorten the hospitalization and wound healing time, reduce the recurrence of abscess and secondary anal fistula, and improve the clinical efficacy. Key words: Anorectal disease; Negative-pressure wound therapy; Drainage; Enema therapy