ReviewCureus2022
A Comparison of Different Surgical Treatments for Complex Anal Fistula: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Early diagnosis of Crohn's disease in patients presenting with a perianal fistula: systematic review and development of a perianal red flags index.Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The novel BioHealx®assisted fistula treatment (BAFT): effective primary fistula healing with continence preservation.International journal of colorectal disease · 2025Trial
- Comparative analysis of early and late recurrence rates in perianal fistula surgery.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2026Article
- Comparison of incision and drainage procedure with drainage and ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract in the treatment of deep perianal abscess.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Multiple consecutive sphincter-preserving procedures improve overall healing outcomes in transsphincteric fistulae: a prospective cohort study of 101 patients.Techniques in coloproctology · 2026Article
- Core-Out Fistulectomy Combined With Laser Ablation of the Trans-Sphincteric Fistula Tract: A Pilot Study of Efficacy and Safety.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Article
- Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract vs. fistulotomy for complex anal fistula: a retrospective study.American journal of translational research · 2026Article
- Article
- Outcomes of Draining Seton Insertion Followed by Ligation of the Intersphincteric Fistula Tract Versus Cutting Seton Insertion for Anal Fistula: A 5-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.Middle East journal of digestive diseases · 2025Article
- Mid- and long-term functional outcomes of advancement flap for cryptoglandular perianal fistulas.Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Article
- Understanding the anatomical basis of anorectal fistulas and their surgical management: exploring different types for enhanced precision and safety.Surgery today · 2025Review
- Efficacy of anal duct ligation and muscle closure: A novel sphincter-preserving surgical technique for fistula-in-ano.Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2024Article
- Use of Non-Thermal Plasma as Postoperative Therapy in Anal Fistula: Clinical Experience and Results.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Optimum management for complex anal fistula: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Surgery open science · 2024Article
- Current and emerging therapeutic strategies for perianal fistula in Crohn's disease patients.Advances in pharmacology (San Diego, Calif.) · 2024Review
- Perineal hernia as a sequela of anal reconstruction surgeries in perianal Crohn's disease.Radiology case reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fistula-in-ano is a common proctological condition that primarily affects younger people and leads to chronic morbidity. An anal fistula is divided into simple and complex fistulas. A complex fistula is a challenging problem due to higher recurrence rates and incontinence associated with surgery. Many new methods have been developed for the closure of complex fistula-in-ano, but there is no single best method. The aim of this study is to identify a superior surgical technique for treating complex/high cryptoglandular perianal fistulas (HCPFs). A literature search was done using PubMed and Google Scholar for the period of 2012-2021. Articles that contain surgical treatment for complex anal fistula in the English language published in the last 10 years were included. The types of studies included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses, systematic reviews, cohort studies, and traditional reviews. Articles excluded were those done more than 10 years ago, in other languages, and containing simple fistula management only. Nine studies were included in the review; a systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that no single method is effective. The ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure seems to be a promising and effective technique as it has a low rate of fecal incontinence as compared to other methods. Biological techniques give variable success rates so does fistula plug (FP). Mucosal advancement flap (MAF) and rerouting seton give good results according to one study. Fistula plug gives variable results and is not a preferred method. Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) seems to be a promising new technique for complex anal fistulas, but the data available is not enough to determine the best method. More randomized trials are required to compare traditional techniques and emerging new biological methods to see the best technique available.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.