Anal fistulas are a non-rare pathology and the definitive treatment requires surgery. Hospital da Luz Funchal is the first health unit in Madeira to treat these cases resorting to the VAAFT minimally invasive technique (Video Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment), performed by surgeon Miguel Silva . Anal fistulas: They arise largely in the wake of obstruction and subsequent infection of an anal gland, leading to an abscess around the anus. These abscesses normally drain and give rise to a communication between the anal canal and the perianal skin.The most frequent complaints are pus and blood drainage through the external opening. Have an estimated incidence of about 9 cases in 100 thousand, being higher in men than in women. Typically, they are more common in the segment of 40 years old. “The definitive treatment of fistulas is surgical, but since the large majority is trans-sphincteric (meaning that they cross the muscles of the internal and external anal sphincter), the decision as to the technique more adequate to each case should be carefully considered by the surgeon and the patient”, explains Miguel Silva. The VAAFT is a minimally invasive procedure that is indicated for the treatment of anorectal fistulas. As explained by the surgeon, who is the clinical director of Hospital da Luz Funchal, this technique “represents an advance allowing a more complete assessment and safer treatment, since it covers both stages: diagnostic and therapeutic. Plus, it allows performing surgery on more complex fistulas with less risk for the patient”. The surgery with resort to VAAFT can be performed under spinal anaesthesia or general anaesthesia.
