Abstract

Objective: The use of gonyautoxin has been reported to be safe and effective in healing acute and chronic anal fissures. This study was designed to show better efficacy in healing patients with chronic anal fissure by increasing the frequency of toxin injection. Method: Twenty-three chronic anal fissure patients were treated with doses of 100 units of gonyautoxin, which was intrasphincteric, infiltrated. The frequency of injection was every 4 days. Anorectal manometries were performed before and 4 min after infiltration. Result: Total remissions were achieved within 7-14 days. The patients healed with a mean time of 8.2 ± 2.4 days. No relapsed were observed during the 10-month follow up. Neither faecal incontinence nor other side effects were observed. All patients showed immediate sphincter relaxation detected by clinical examination. The maximum anal resting pressures, recorded 4 min after injections decreased to 62.9 ± 27.7 mmHg, being 65.3 ± 29.6% of baseline. Immediately after infiltration, patients reported anaesthetic effect with a fall down of the postdefecatory pain. Conculsion: Although, gonyautoxin anal fissures treatment recently published proved to be safe and effective, this study shows a better protocol for anal fissure treatment, showing better efficacy by shorting the healing time with better perception of healing by patients. Gonyautoxin anal sphincter infiltration proves to be safe and effective, reducing discomfort and healing time, advantageously comparing with alternative therapeutic approaches for chronic anal fissure. © 2007 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.