Anal Fistula
An anal fistula usually develops as a result of an anal abscess which is drained or bursts. Around half of people who develop an anal abscess will go onto develop an anal fistula. An anal fistula is a track which forms between the inside of the anus and the skin on the outside. This track will continue to drain pus like material and occasionally faecal matter. Once a fistula has formed it is very unlikely to heal without treatment. Anal fistula may also develop as a result of other conditions such as Crohn’s disease.
An anal fistula usually requires surgical treatment in order to heal. An anal fistula may often pass through the muscles surrounding the anus. These muscles are important for maintaining continence. It is very important that when fistulae are treated this muscle is not damaged excessively so that a patient has trouble controlling their bowels. Fistula surgery can be difficult, and some patients may require repeated procedures in order to get their fistula healed. Recurrence is a worldwide problem in fistula surgery and no perfect operation exist. Therefore, there are more than 11 described procedures for fistula surgery. Some patients may need more than one procedure and even in the best hospitals in the world the best success rates for permanent healing on average is only 70%.
Minimal Invasive Procedure
Treatment with the use of Diode Laser (NeoLaser) and the ALFA (Advanced Laser Fistula Ablation) technique of anal fistulas as muscle-sparing as possible. During this laser therapy, defined energy will be led into the fistula tract with help of an innovative laser optic fiber. By this, the fistula tissue will be destroyed in a most sparing way and has not to be tediously extracted during a complex surgery by a surgeon. The laser treatment takes a short period of time and provides the possibility to completely spare the enucleation of the fistula out of the healthy tissue.
