AIM: Treatment of @entity30 remains challenging and little is known about factors associated with healing. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of healing after surgical treatment and analyse clinical variables related to healing. METHOD: 119 @entity1 (63 female, mean age 36 (  13.7) years with histopathologically verified @entity30 underwent a surgical procedure for anal @entity292 at four main referral centres in Sweden, January 1998 - December 2009. Baseline and treatment-related variables were recorded and analysed for correlation with @entity292 healing at a final follow-up at a mean 7.2 (median 7.1, 1.0-17.5) years. RESULTS: Of the 119 @entity1 62 (52%) were healed at final follow-up. Fourteen healed after one procedure and the remaining 48 healed after a further median of 4.0 (2-20) procedures. Ten (8%) @entity1 were subjected to a proctectomy. Final healing was more common in @entity1 operated with a procedure aiming at eradicating the @entity292 (P=0.0001), without @entity4272 (P=0.02), and a shorter duration of @entity30 (P=.0019). CONCLUSION: Long-term healing of a @entity30 can be expected in about half of the @entity1 , usually after repeated surgical treatment. The probability for cure was higher when a curative operation was performed in a @entity1 without @entity4272 and a shorter duration of @entity30 . An attempt to close a @entity30 is thus often worthwhile. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Long-term outcome after surgery for XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity4272 :: ('MESH:D011349', 'Disease') :: ['proctitis'] @entity292 :: ('MESH:D005402', 'Disease') :: ['fistula'] @entity30 :: ('MESH:D003424', 'Disease') :: ["Crohn's anal fistula", "Crohn' disease", "Crohn's disease"]
@entity30 :: (MESH:D003424,Disease) :: ['Crohn's anal fistula']
