Anal fissure

What is it?

A fissure  is simply a crack or split in a sensitive part of the skin of the back passage. It is made worse by tightening or spasm of the ring muscle that holds the back passage shut. The fissure causes pain and often some bleeding.

The operation

You will have a general anaesthetic, and will be asleep for the whole operation. The ring muscle is cut. This allows the fissure to heal - a process which takes a week or so. You should be able to leave hospital after 3 or 4 hours.

Any alternatives

Simple ointments and creams have not been helpful for you. Your fissure will not go away if you just wait and see. Stretching the muscle is an alternative to cutting it, but there is less control of the wind and motions after stretching. Cutting out the fissure is rarely helpful. Sometimes the area can be numbed with an injection, avoiding a general anaesthetic.

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