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Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of fecal incontinence in the two-staged Seton fistulotomy in complex fistula in ano. Study Design: Prospective Cohort study. Setting: Surgical Out-patient Department at Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore. Period: September 2015 till March 2016. Material & Methods: After ethical review board approval, data was collected from 100 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All the procedures were conducted in the lithotomy position, under spinal or general anesthesia. A rigid sigmoidoscopy and proctoscopy was done prior to intervention. Fistula tract was marked using hydrogen peroxide (H202) for the identification of the internal opening. The external opening was gently probed using a standard 3 mm blunt-tipped probe till the internal opening was reached. The portion of the track outside the sphincter mechanism and any lateral tracts were laid open. A feeding tube of size 5 French  was loosely tied around the remaining muscular portion of the sphincter complex. The seton was left in place for six weeks followed by secondary fistulotomy. Patients were evaluated for incontinence one month after the second procedure. Results: In our study, mean age was calculated as 47.38+10.96 years, 73%(n=73) were male and 27%(n=27) were females, frequency of fecal incontinence in the two-staged Seton fistulotomy in complex fistula in ano was recorded in 17%(n=17). Conclusion: The frequency of fecal incontinence in the two-staged seton fistulotomy for complex fistula in ano was acceptable in our study population and in tandem with literature. The procedure may be a suitable alternative to loose-seton placement alone.