The Impact of Surgical Interventions on Quality of Life in Patients with Cryptoglandular Anal Fistula Using Quality of Life-Anal Fistula Questionnaire: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study | ||||
| The Egyptian Journal of Surgery | ||||
| Volume 44, Issue 2, April 2025, Page 584-587 PDF (420.02 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejsur.2024.327764.1237 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Ahmed Elsayed  1; Samy A. Elbaz1; Hesham Elgendy1; Ayman Elshobaky1; Mohamed Youssef2; Wael Khafagy1; Amir A. Fikry 1; Mostafa Shalaby1
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| 1Department of General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Mansoura University Hospitals, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt | ||||
| 2Department of Clinical Sciences, MBBS Program, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Objective: This pilot cross-sectional study evaluates the impact of different surgical interventions on the quality of life (QoL) and continence in patients with cryptoglandular anal fistula (AF), using the QoL-AF questionnaire and Wexner and St Mark continence scores. Patients and Methods: Sixteen patients, aged 18–65 years, with primary or recurrent cryptoglandular AF underwent surgical interventions, including fistulotomy, seton placement, and ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT). Preoperative and postoperative QoL and continence scores were collected at 1, 3, and 6 months postsurgery. Paired t tests and analysis of variance were used to assess the impact of surgical technique, fistula type, and presentation on outcomes. Results: Significant improvements in QoL were observed at all postoperative time points, with fistulotomy and seton showing greater improvements (average QoL changes of 29.57 and 28.25, respectively) compared to LIFT (21.00). The intervention type had a significant impact on QoL (P<0.001), while the type and presentation of the fistula had no significant effect. Postoperative continence scores also showed significant improvements, but weak correlations were found between continence and QoL scores. Conclusion: Fistulotomy and seton are associated with better QoL outcomes than LIFT in the treatment of cryptoglandular AF. While fistula type and presentation did not affect outcomes, individualized treatment plans that prioritize patient QoL should guide clinical decision-making. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Anal fistula; continence; cryptoglandular; quality of life | ||||
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