Anal fistulas and fissures are a painful growth near the genitals. A fistula is an abnormal development from one cavity to another or from a hollow body cavity to the surface. The fistula can be a result of a penetrating wound like from the skin to lung, or it may be congenital like from bladder to navel or it may have formed from an ulcer or an abscess like tooth socket to sinus or appendix abscess to vagina.
When the wounds or abscesses keep getting filled by the fluids of the body cavity, it slows down and prevents healing and develops the formation of a fistula. For instance, the growth of an anal fistula can start with the inflammation of the mucus lining of the rectum. As it is constantly infected by feces, the area develops abscesses; a fistula breaks out gradually on the skin near the anus. Generally, the treatment includes an operation to drain the abscess by opening the fistula channel by operating on it so that there is no chance of recurrence.
On the other hand, anal fissures are the tears in the mucus lining of the anal canal which occur due to the passage of hard stools. Fissures become very painful with bowel movements and one may bleed with the passage of stools. The anus is the ring-like sphincter or valve at the end of the rectum and it relaxes and tightens to allow a bowel movement. The rim of this anus can have a tear, which will be called anal fissure. With every bowel movement, the anus will be stretched and fissure will be reopened causing delay in healing and manifestation of more symptoms and make the fissures chronic and a considerable misery.
Anal fissures and anal fistula are often interchanged and confused. While a fissure is a tear or crack in the anal canal, fistula develops from abscesses in the same area. Fistula is more like a tunnel between the rectum and other parts of the body, like the rectum and the vagina which can be called a recto-vaginal fistula or between the anal canal and the nearby skin.
Anal fissures mostly heal if constipation is avoided. Healing can be hastened with simple measures like stool softeners and other ointments. Steroid preparations, prescription medicines and variety of analgesics may also be used. Top medical news report that the same medication used for chest pain (angina), can be used as a treatment option for anal fissures. This medication works in such a way that the smooth muscle lining below the torn mucus layer of the anus relaxes and treating the spasm of this smooth muscle heals about 85% of the fissure. If this medication does not work, a simple outpatient surgical technique called lateral internal sphincterotomy can be used.
Anal fistula is also known as fistula-in-ano and it is an abnormal link between the interior of the anal canal or rectum and the skin surface.
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