Comparison of lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy with anal dilatation in the treatment of fissure in ano.

A comparison of the outcome of the treatment of fissure in ano by a lateral subcutaneous sphincterotomy (LSS) and by an anal dilatation (AD) has been made retrospectively through a questionnaire sent to patients who were operated upon between three months and five years beforehand. The questionnaire was completed by 86 patients who underwent the LSS, and 74 patients who underwent the AD. The two groups were comparable in age, but there were slightly more males in the LSS group. The results appear to favour the LSS, the patients in this group recording a recurrence of pain and problems of incontinence significantly less often than those in the AD group.