[On terminology of ano-rectal abscesses and fistulae].
There are different names: perianal abscesses and fistulae, periproctitis, paraproctitis, pararectal inflammatory and fistulous processes, etc. It is our opinion that the name perianal and anal fistulae does not correspond to the origin of the fistulae from an abscess of the rectal wall, although it is fairly common.


OBJECTIVE
To offer a name, based on the patophysiological mechanism and anatomic localization of the inflammatory process in the pararectal area through study of the origin and the way of development of ano - rectal abscesses and fistulae.


METHODS
A group of 430 (4%) patients with recto - perineal abscesses and fistulae has been analyzed out of a total of 10 726 hospitalized patients for the 1986 - 2005 period. Of them 241 patients (56,1 %) have been with recto - perineal fistulae, and 189 (43,9%) with recto - perineal abscesses.


CONCLUSIONS
The process starts in the rectal wall, in the Morgan's crypts - cryptitis, after which the process transits to the perineal connective tissue. This succession in the development of the inflammatory process allows us to put the term " rectum" before "perineum" in the name adopted by us "recto - perineal abscesses and fistulae". It is our opinion that it is more appropriate to consider fistulae as a consequence from the abscesses, united in a single name recto - perineal abscesses and fistulae.
Tsankov
Ts
Ts
D000038:Abscess / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000473:pathology; D001004:Anus Diseases / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D012003:Rectal Fistula / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D009626:Terminology as Topic