ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2022
Living with cryptoglandular anal fistula: a qualitative investigation of the patient's experience through semi-structured patient interviews.
Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Current Applications in Surgery of Three-Dimensional Modelling Technology for Complex Fistula-In-Ano: A Systematic Review.ANZ journal of surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Cutting seton for the treatment of cryptoglandular fistula-in-ano: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Techniques in coloproctology · 2023Pooled it
- "You Cannot Be Yourself": Identity disruption, stigma, and the lived experience of anal fistula.PloS one · 2026Article
- Depression in patients with anorectal fistulas and anal fissures: a propensity score-matched cohort study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Development of a new patient-reported outcome measure for complex cryptoglandular fistulas (20-Item complex cryptoglandular fistula questionnaireJournal of patient-reported outcomes · 2024Article
- The development of a cryptoglandular anal fistula quality of life scale (AF-QoL).Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2024Article
- Repeat operations in patients with anal fistula, a retrospective study across England and Wales.International journal of colorectal disease · 2023Article
- Do Patient-Reported Quality-of-Life (QoL) Scales Provide an Adequate Assessment of Patients with Cryptoglandular Anal Fistulae? A Systematic Review of Measurement Instruments and Their Content Validity.Clinics and practice · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCryptoglandular anal fistula continues to be a subject of extensive surgical research due to the lack of effective and enduring treatments, some of which incur risks to continence and quality of life. However, the patient experience of disease has seldom been reported. The aims of this study are to understand the impact of living with a fistula and the treatment outcomes that are valued by patients.
methodsPatients with cryptoglandular anal fistula were recruited using purposive sampling from two tertiary referral centres in the UK and the Netherlands. Patients underwent semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Dutch transcripts were translated into English and underwent independent, thematic analysis using open coding by two study team members to identify common themes and sub-themes.
resultsTwenty interviews were conducted before saturation was reached (11 male, median age 49, Interquartile range 39-55 years). Four broad themes emerged, covering the physical symptoms of fistula, the patient journey towards understanding the condition, life impact, and treatment. Several inter-related sub-themes were found, reflecting the extensive impact and adjustment that the disease entails.
conclusionThe impact of cryptoglandular anal fistula extends beyond the physical symptoms of pain and discharge, requires significant readjustment, and often negatively impacts psycho-social wellbeing. These aspects of disease should receive greater attention in future assessment of treatment and quality of life.
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