Sphincterotomy

The sphincterotomy is performed on an outpatient basis under local or general anesthesia. Your doctor makes a small incision in the internal anal sphincter. The incision in the muscle reduces the pressure, allowing the fissure to heal. The incision is either stitched with dissolvable stitches or is left open to heal naturally. As with any procedure, lateral internal sphincterotomy may involve certain risks and complications such as incontinence of gas or stool, pain, bleeding, infection at the incision site, and difficulty passing urine. Please discuss all the risks and benefits of this procedure with your GI Alliance provider.

Anal fissures can heal on their own, but if you have an anal fissure that is not healing and is not responding to more conservative treatment efforts then a sphincterotomy may be able to help you. If you have additional questions about the sphincterotomy or any other treatment method for anal fissures, please contact your GI Alliance physician. As the nation's leading physician-led network of gastroenterologists, GI Alliance aims to provide patient-centric care for GI tract conditions like anal fissures. To learn more about the sphincterotomy process, please contact a GI Alliance location near you.