Long-term Outcome of a Fissurectomy: A Prospective Single-Arm Study of 50 Operations out of 349 Initial Patients.

PURPOSE: The surgical standard of care for patients with chronic anal fissure is still disputed. We aimed to assess the natural course of idiopathic anal fissure and the long-term outcome of a fissurectomy as a surgical treatment. METHODS: All consecutive patients referred to a single expert practitioner in a tertiary centre were primarily included. A fissurectomy was proposed in cases of refractory symptoms after 4 to 6 weeks of standard medical management. Only patients with idiopathic and noninfected anal fissures were included in this second subsample to undergo surgery. Conventional postoperative management was prescribed for all patients who had undergone surgery. The main outcome measures were the success rate (defined as a combination of wound healing and relief of pain) and postoperative anal continence. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-nine patients were primarily recruited. Fifty patients finally underwent surgery for an idiopathic and noninfected fissure. Among them, 47 (94%) were cured at the end of primary follow-up, and 44 of the 47 (93.6%) could be confirmed as being sustainably cured in the longer-term follow-up. The mean time of complete healing was 10.3 weeks (range, 5.7-36.4 weeks). All patients were free of pain at weeks 42. The continence score after surgery was not statistically different from the preoperative score. CONCLUSION: A fissurectomy for the treatment of patients with an idiopathic noninfected fissure is associated with rapid pain relief and a high success rate even though complete healing may often be delayed. Moreover, it appears to have no adverse effect on continence.

Remission of refractory pyoderma gangrenosum, severe acne, and hidradenitis suppurativa (PASH) syndrome using targeted antibiotic therapy in 4 patients.

Pyoderma gangrenosum, severe acne, and suppurative hidradenitis (PASH) syndrome can prove refractory to treatment and is characterized by relapses and recurrences. The combination of antibiotic therapy and surgery can produce success in the management of the syndrome. Acute treatment is required, but maintenance therapy is also necessary to prevent disease relapse. The response to antibiotic therapy is hypothesis generating, raising the issue of a modified host response. To date, anecdotal reports support the use of surgery and medical therapy, but controlled investigations with extended follow-up are necessary to substantiate preliminary data observed with individual cases.

Crohn's disease of the vulva.

Crohn's disease (CD) of the vulva is a rare, yet under recognized condition. Fistulae arising from the digestive tract account for the greater part of genital lesions in CD. However, cutaneous so-called metastatic lesions of the vulva have been reported in the literature. They are clinically challenging for gastroenterologists as well as for gynecologists, with numerous differential diagnoses, especially among venereal diseases, and require a multidisciplinary approach. The most frequently observed features of the disease are labial swelling, vulvar ulcers, and hypertrophic lesions. Biopsy samples for histological study are mandatory, in order to establish the diagnosis of vulvar CD. Treatment options include oral prolonged courses of metronidazole and systemic immunosuppressive therapy such as corticosteroids and azathioprine, with promising data published on the efficacy of infliximab. Surgery remains restricted to medical treatment failures or resection of unsightly lesions. Prospective studies or case series with long follow-up data are still missing to guide the treatment of this condition.

[Anal intraepithelial neoplasia]. / Néoplasies intra-épithéliales de l'anus.

Anal intraepithelial lesions are caused by chronic infection with oncogenic types of human papillomavirus. Their incidence and prevalence are increasing, especially among patients with HIV infection. Their natural history is not well known, but high-grade intraepithelial lesions seem to have an important risk to progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Their treatment can be achieved by many ways (surgery, coagulation, imiquimod, etc.) but there is a high rate of recurrent lesions. Pretherapeutic evaluation should benefit from high-resolution anoscopy. Periodic physical examination and anal cytology may probably be interesting for screening the disease among patients with risk factors. Vaccine against oncogenic types of papillomavirus may prevent the development of anal intraepithelial neoplasia.

Is routine pathologic evaluation of hemorrhoidectomy specimens necessary?

AIM: To confirm that systematic histological study of hemorrhoidectomy specimens is useless, as is proposed by the French Society of Coloproctology (Société Nationale Française de Colo-Proctologie) under the sponsorship of the French National Health Accreditation and Evaluation Agency (Agence Nationale d'Accréditation et d'Evaluation en Santé). METHODS: Retrospective histological analysis of hemorrhoidectomy specimens obtained in a coloproctology unit between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 2001. RESULTS: We found 56 histological abnormalities (0.69%) among 8153 hemorrhoidectomy specimens considered normal at gross examination, with three cases of intraepithelial neoplasia of the anal canal (0.04%) and four cases of severe dysplasia (0.05%). Specimens associated with anal fissure (N = 906) or suppuration (N = 610) did not display more histological lesions. For all patients, the initial surgical resection prevented recurrence. CONCLUSION: Routine pathological evaluation of hemorrhoidectomy specimens is not useful and is expensive. All operating procedures in proctology should reflect this attitude. It is nevertheless advisable to select for gross and microscopic evaluation any suspicious areas noticed at the preoperative examination or during the procedure.