title: Prospective evaluation of dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of fistula in ano.
abstract: Forty-two patients with a suspected diagnosis of fistula in ano underwent prospective comparison of digital rectal examination, dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) and surgical exploration. There were five discordancies: DCEMRI showed an ischiorectal abscess and track with no enteric connection in one patients who at operation was found to have a well epithelialized primary fistula. Four patients with fistulas on DCEMRI had no enteric opening found at surgery and were treated as having sinuses. Long-term follow-up has shown failure to heal in all patients and further surgery confirmed missed fistula. Compared with final outcome measures DCEMRI had a sensitivity of 97 per cent and specificity of 100 per cent in the detection of fistula. DCEMRI also identified more secondary tracks and was more accurate at identifying complex fistulas than either digital rectal examination alone or surgical exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St James's Hospital, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Beckingham
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Dyke
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Ambrose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications; D005401:Fissure in Ano / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies