Medications and antibiotics may be able to heal some fistulas, but anal fistula surgery in Singapore is usually required to close them. Fistulotomy and seton surgery are the two main surgical treatments for anal fistulas. Seton surgery involves placing a thin surgical thread inside a fistula in order to drain any infection and allow it to heal. A fistulotomy is when a surgeon cuts a fistula along its length to form a flat scar. The following are other options for treatment:
- Ablation by endoscopy
- Procedure for LIFT
- Procedure for advancement of flaps
- The anal fistula plug closes the fistula and allows it to heal
- The fistula is closed with medical glue
It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of each anal fistula surgery in Singapore procedure with your surgical team so that you know what to expect from the procedure.
The fistulotomy: It usually takes around an hour to repair an anal fistula, but you’ll need time to prepare and recover before and after the operation. It may only be necessary for a patient to receive a local anesthetic during the procedure if the fistula is small and shallow, but if it is not, a general anesthetic will be administered instead. Fistulotomies involve opening up the fistula through an incision made by the surgeon.
Placement at Seton: A person will be asleep for the duration of the procedure with an anal fistula. The procedure can take up to one hour depending on the complexity of the fistula. Setons are placed in fistulas by surgeons and then covered with padded dressings after they are placed. It is usually possible to go home the same day after surgery if everything went smoothly and without complications. Seton placement surgery is usually performed in stages, so a person may require additional operations if the seton needs to be adjusted or replaced. It might take several weeks for the fistula to stop draining after the surgery.
Aftercare and recovery: It depend on where and how complicated the procedure that a person underwent to recover from a fistula treatment. Surgery teams can provide personalized recovery advice to patients. 6 weeks is the average time it takes for wounds to heal.