title: Prospective randomized trial of drainage alone vs. drainage and fistulotomy for acute perianal abscesses with proven internal opening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Incision and drainage (I & D) with concurrent or delayed fistulotomy is the usual treatment for abscess-fistula with a demonstrated internal opening. We compared incision and drainage alone vs. with concurrent fistulotomy for perianal abscesses with a demonstrated internal opening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients with acute perianal abscesses and a demonstrated internal opening were prospectively randomized into either the I & D group or drainage with concurrent fistulotomy group. They were followed up at one month, three months, and one year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The I & D group had 21 patients, and the fistulotomy group had 24 patients. Thirteen patients had low intersphincteric abscess-fistula, and seven had low transsphincteric fistulas in the I & D group. The fistulotomy group had 9 intersphincteric abscess-fistula compared with 14 low transsphincteric ones. Median duration of surgery, hospital stay, and continence at final follow-up were the same in the two groups. Three had recurrent abscess-fistula in the I & D group compared with none in the fistulotomy group (P = 0.09).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  I & D alone for acute anal abscess-fistula with demonstrated internal opening showed a tendency to recurrence that did not reach a statistically significant difference compared with concurrent fistulotomy. I & D, therefore, puts only a few patients at risk for recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seow-Choen
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D012003:Rectal Fistula / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome