Comparison Between Open and Laser Surgery in Different Types of Perianal Fistula

Background: A perianal fistula occurs when the perianal tissue becomes abnormally connected to the anal canal or rectum. Aim of study: To compare both laser procedures as minimally invasive surgeries and open procedures in the treatment of different types of perianal fistulas. Patients and methods: This case-control research was performed on 60 cases who presented with perianal fistulae at El Sayed Galal University Hospital, El Hussien University Hospital, and Nasr City Health Insurance Hospital, separated into two groups: Group A: thirty cases who were treated using laser (L) procedures; & Group B: 30 patients who were treated using conventional surgery (S). This study lasted for 6 months. Results: In Group (L), mean operative time (min.) was 35.27 ± 2.56, mean hospital stay (days) was 1 ± 0.09, and mean a return to work (days) was 4.27 ± 0.83, while in Group (S), mean operative time (min.) was 47.73 ± 3.86, mean hospital stay (days) was 1.94 ± 0.23, and mean a return to work (days) was 6.9 ± 0.8, with significant variance among groups regarding operative time & hospital stay, while there was no significant variance among groups regarding discharge, pain, bleeding & recurrence. Conclusion: There was significant variance between the laser group and conventional surgery group regarding operative time and hospital stay (p = 0.03 and 0.001, respectively), which was significantly lower in the laser group. Moreover, there was no significant variance between the laser group and the conventional surgery group regarding postoperative discharge, pain, bleeding, and recurrence.