Anal Fissure

Fissures are a common, anal disorders that cause a great deal of pain and discomfort to those who suffer from them.

Thanks to modern and minimally invasive methods, anal fissures can be treated immediately, bloodlessly and with absolute safety, ensuring permanent relief to patients.

What is an Anal Fissure?

The term anal fissure usually refers to an elongated, painful slit (wound) of the anal tract that extends from the dentate line to the ring and may reach the fibers of the inner anal sphincter.

Fissures occur just as often in men and women regardless of age. The presence of multiple fissures in various parts of the periphery of the ring may indicate the coexistence of another condition, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

What are the causes of Anal Fissures?

The main cause of fissures is the increased tone of the internal sphincter and is accompanied by injury to the skin of the anus during the passage of hard stools. More rarely it may be due to poor healing of surgical wounds or to injuries to the area.

What are the symptoms of Αnal Fissure?

Anal fissures cause strong pain during or immediately after relieving oneself (it feels like tearing or burning), which can last for 2 to 6 hours and is sometimes accompanied by bleeding.

How is Anal Fissure diagnosed?

In most cases the anal fissure is diagnosed during physical examination by a doctor.

However, anal fissure is sometimes the result of another underlying condition, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, AIDS, or cancer. Therefore, further tests may be needed, such as:

• endoscopy of the anus and rectum
• flexible sigmoidoscopy of the colon
• colonoscopy

How is Anal Fissure treated?

Medication with laxatives and topical ointments often fails and surgery becomes the sole treatment for anal fissures. Such a surgery is easy, short, and effective.

The most effective treatment for anal fissure includes the use of laser or radio frequency (RF).

Along with these modern approaches a partial internal – lateral sphincterotomy is often carried out helping to eliminate the chronic spasm, facilitate rapid healing and prevent potential recurrence.

The operation lasts 20-30 minutes and the patient usually returns home in the same day.

Why choose Dr. Konstantinidis?

The Surgical Team of Dr. Konstantinidis has vast experience in the most innovative and minimally invasive methods of treating anal disorders.

The treatments are performed at Athens Medical Center with top-class facilities and state – of- the-art equipment.