title: The anal dilator in the conservative management of acute anal fissures.
abstract: Patients presenting with acute anal fissure were randomized into two treatment groups in a prospective clinical trial. Both groups received treatment for 3 weeks with a stool softener and lignocaine jelly. Those entered in group 1 (35 patients) were asked in addition to insert an anal dilator (no. 2) twice daily while those in group 2 (31 patients) applied the anaesthetic jelly without a dilator. At 6 weeks 11 (31.4 per cent) patients in group 1 and 12 (38.7 per cent) patients in group 2 had been referred for sphincterotomy owing to failure of the treatment. At 6 months this figure had risen to 14 (40 per cent) in group 1 and 15 (48.4 per cent) in group 2. This difference was not statistically significant, suggesting that the addition of a dilator to the conservative treatment regimen did not diminish the likelihood of surgery.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004106:Dilatation; D005260:Female; D005401:Fissure in Ano / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; C011045:Normacol; D008012:Lidocaine