Botox and CCBs were equivalent to GTN in efficacy with fewer adverse events .
No medical therapy came close to the efficacy of surgical sphincterotomy , though none in these RCTs was associated with the risk of incontinence .
Medical therapy for chronic anal fissure , acute fissure and fissure in children may be applied with a chance of cure that is marginally better than placebo , and , for chronic fissure in adults , far less effective than surgery
BACKGROUND Because of the disability associated with surgery for anal fissure and the risk of incontinence , medical alternatives for surgery have been sought .
Most recently , pharmacologic methods that relax the anal smooth muscle , to accomplish reversibly what occurs in surgery , have been used to obtain fissure healing .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and morbidity of various medical therapies for anal fissure .
Comparison of topical glyceryl trinitrate with lignocaine ointment for treatment of anal fissure: a randomised controlled trial.
INTRODUCTION Topical glyceryl trinitrate ( GTN ) has gained popularity as a treatment for anal fissure in the West . In our country , lignocaine is still the current treatment for the entity . This study was done to compare the effect of GTN with lignocaine in terms of healing rate and recurrence in South Asian population . METHODS A prospect i ve , double blinded , r and omised controlled trial was conducted on 50 patients ( both treatment arms included ) of all ages and either gender with a clinical diagnosis of anal fissure . Group A was given 0.2 % GTN ointment and Group B was given lignocaine ointment . Both subjective and objective signs of healing were assessed and adverse effects of the treatment were sought . RESULTS Symptomatic relief was earlier with GTN as compared with lignocaine .  Pain relief was steady and sustained in those treated with GTN but returned to pre-treatment status within 5 weeks in patients with lignocaine . After 8 weeks of treatment , 80 % of patients in Group A showed clinical signs of healing compared to 32 % in Group B ( p=0.001 ) . Headache was the main side effect of GTN . At 6-month follow-up , recurrence was seen in 3/8 patients in Group B compared to 8/20 in the GTN Group ( p=1 ) . CONCLUSION Topical GTN has earlier and a higher rate of clinical healing of anal fissure with acceptable side effects . The recurrence rate is high and comparable to lignocaine ointment . It is a safe and an effective treatment of anal fissure in a South Asian population
Botox and CCBs were equivalent to GTN in efficacy with fewer adverse events .
No medical therapy came close to the efficacy of surgical sphincterotomy , though none in these RCTs was associated with the risk of incontinence .
Medical therapy for chronic anal fissure , acute fissure and fissure in children may be applied with a chance of cure that is marginally better than placebo , and , for chronic fissure in adults , far less effective than surgery
BACKGROUND Because of the disability associated with surgery for anal fissure and the risk of incontinence , medical alternatives for surgery have been sought .
Most recently , pharmacologic methods that relax the anal smooth muscle , to accomplish reversibly what occurs in surgery , have been used to obtain fissure healing .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and morbidity of various medical therapies for anal fissure .