Abstract
This study was made to investigate the efficacy of primary-lesion-opening surgery by the seton technique for high anal fistula. Subjects were ten patients with a high anal fistula, comprising seven with a fistula of the high trans-external anal sphincter muscle including three with horse-shoe type fistula and the remaining three with high inter-muscular fistula. They underwent surgery by the seton technique, i.e., incision and opening of the primary opening, primary track, internal anal sphincter muscle, primary focus, and subcutaneous external anal sphincter muscle.
Their postoperative courses were observed for at least one year, and complete cure of the high anal fistula was attained in eight patients. It took from 6 days to 38 weeks with an average of 17.9 weeks for the falling off of the “seton”. The time from the surgical treatment to healing ranged from 7 to 38 weeks with an average of 17.9 weeks. The remaining two patients whose treatments were unsuccessful had a fistula of the high trans-external anal sphincter muscle; one of them had the horse-shoe type. The postoperative anal function was favorable in the eight cured patients.
