Outcomes of Anal Sphincter Injury Repair; Minia University Hospital Experience Prospective Study

Abstract

Aim: Test the effectiveness and results of anal sphincter repair and the effect of different factors on the outcomes of the operation. Patients and methods: In the period between January 2017 and January 2020; thirty Patients who had fecal incontinence and who presented to Minia University hospital underwent anal sphincter repair. Data on demographic information, etiology, duration of symptoms before surgery, imaging data, type of procedure performed, complications, and outcomes were collected. The participants were followed-up for a minimum of 6 months following anal sphincter repair. Patients were classified according to their satisfaction from surgery into two groups; well satisfied and not satisfied patients. They were classified according to the degree of continence after surgery into full; partial and non-continent patients. Results: 83.3% of patients were satisfied after surgery versus 16.7% who were unsatisfied. About seventy-three percent (73.3%) of the 30 patients stated subjectively that they had become fully continent after the repair, however, 8 patients (26.7%) became partially continent. Conclusion: Sphincter repair operation is a safe and feasible operation for the treatment of fecal incontinence due to different causes. Sphincter injuries due to road traffic accidents are associated with best outcomes while iatrogenic injuries have the worst outcomes. Better results are obtained with external sphincter repair versus the isolated internal sphincter repair. It seems that age and duration after surgery don't affect the outcomes.