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Article published online: 2021-02-17
j coloproctol (rio j). 2 0 1 6;3 6(3):149–152
Journal of
Coloproctology
www.jcol.org.br
Original Article
Perianal abscess: a descriptive analysis of cases
treated at the Hospital Santa Marcelina, São Paulo夽
Isaac José Felippe Corrêa Neto a,b,∗ , Janaína Wercka a , Angelo Rossi Silva Cecchinni a ,
Eduardo Augusto Lopes a,b , Hugo Henriques Watté a,b , Rogério Freitas Lino Souza a ,
Alexander Sá Rolim a,b , Laercio Robles a,c
a Hospital Santa Marcelina, Departamento de Cirurgia Geral, Serviço de Coloproctologia, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
b Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia, Brazil
c Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgia, Brazil
a r t i c l e
i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history:
Introduction: Perianal suppurations have an incidence of 1–2:10,000 inhabitants per year and
Received 18 September 2015
represent about 5% of proctology consultations, more frequently in males, being rare in
Accepted 22 March 2016
childhood. Although perianal or anorectal abscess is an entity of relatively simple diagnosis
Available online 13 April 2016
and treatment, in a considerable percentage of patients difficulties will be found, especially considering that the initial treatment of these patients is performed by non-specialist
Keywords:
physicians.
Perianal abscess
Objective: This is a retrospective survey of cases of perianal and anorectal abscess operated
Medical history
in Santa Marcelina Hospital between October 2011 and December 2014.
Signs of syndrome of systemic
Patients and methods: A retrospective study of patients operated on an emergency basis for
inflammatory response
perianal and/or anorectal abscess in Santa Marcelina Hospital between October 2011 and
Surgery
December 2014, being excluded patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Data of gender,
Seasonality
age, clinical presentation, the season of the year in which the abscess occurred, time of progression of symptoms, comorbidities, signs of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
(SIRS) on admission, surgeries carried out, reoperations and clinical outcome were analyzed.
Results: Electronic medical records of 52 patients (73.1% male) who underwent surgical treatment of anorectal and perianal abscess were analyzed. The mean overall age was 43.03 years,
and all patients reported pain as the main symptom, with a mean time of symptoms of 6.5
days. As for the season of the year of onset and diagnosis of perianal abscess, 61.5% of
patients had this pathology in the summer and spring months.
夽
Study conducted by Program of Medical Residency in Coloproctology, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Santa Marcelina,
São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail: isaacneto@hotmail.com (I.J.F.C. Neto).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcol.2016.03.004
2237-9363/© 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
150
j coloproctol (rio j). 2 0 1 6;3 6(3):149–152
Conclusion: In our study, it can be observed a higher incidence of perianal abscess in males
and in the warmer months; furthermore, just over half of the patients developed perianal
fistula in their progression.
© 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is
an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Abscesso perianal: análise descritiva de casos atendidos no Hospital
Santa Marcelina, São Paulo
r e s u m o
Palavras-chave:
Introdução: As supurações perianais apresentam uma incidência de 1-2:10000 habitantes
Abscesso perianal
por ano e representam cerca de 5% das consultas proctológicas, com maior frequência no
História clínica
sexo masculino, sendo raras na infância. Embora o abscesso perianal ou anorretal seja de
Sinais de síndrome da resposta
diagnóstico e tratamento relativamente simples, uma percentagem considerável representa
inflamatória sistêmica
maior dificuldade para tal, notadamente pelo fato do atendimento inicial desses pacientes
Cirurgia
ser realizado por médicos não especialistas.
Sazonalidade
Objetivo: Levantamento retrospectivo dos casos de abscesso perianal e anorretal operados
no Hospital Santa Marcelina entre outubro de 2011 e dezembro de 2014.
Casuística e método: Estudo retrospectivo de pacientes operados em caráter de urgência
por abscesso perianal e/ou anorretal no Hospital Santa Marcelina entre outubro de 2011
e dezembro de 2014, excluídos portadores de doença inflamatória intestinal. Analisaramse dados de sexo, idade, quadro clínico, época do ano da ocorrência do abscesso, tempo
de evolução dos sintomas, comorbidades, sinais de Síndrome da Resposta Inflamatória
Sistêmica (SIRS) na admissão, cirurgias realizadas, reoperações e desfecho clínico.
Resultados: Foram analisados prontuários eletrônicos de 52 pacientes submetidos à tratamento cirúrgico de abscesso anorretal e perianal, dos quais 73,1% pertenciam ao sexo
masculino. A média de idade geral foi de 43,03 anos e todos os pacientes relataram dor como
sintoma principal com média de tempo de sintomatologia de 6,5 dias. Quanto à época do
ano do aparecimento e diagnóstico do abscesso perianal, 61,5% dos pacientes apresentaram
a patologia nos meses de verão e primavera.
Conclusão: Em nosso trabalho, pode-se observar maior incidência de abscesso perianal no
sexo masculino e nos meses mais quentes e que pouco mais da metade dos pacientes
desenvolveram fístula perianal na evolução.
© 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. Este
é um artigo Open Access sob uma licença CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Introduction
Perianal abscess is defined as a collection of pus located in
perineal tissues1 and is the most common proctologic disease requiring an emergency surgical treatment.2 On the
other hand, anorectal abscesses result of a cryptoglandular
infection,3 usually of idiopathic etiology4 and located in the
inter-sphincteric space.5
But although most of the time perianal or anorectal
abscesses are an entity of relatively simple diagnosis and
treatment, in a considerable percentage of patients, difficulties
will be found, especially considering that the initial treatment
of these patients is performed by non-specialist physicians.6
Anorectal abscesses are classified into five types, with
incidences defined: perianal (60%), ischiorectal (30%), intersphincteric (5%), supraelevator (4%) and submucosal (1%).7
Perianal suppurations have an incidence of 1–2:10,000
inhabitants per year and represent about 5% of all proctology
consultations, being more frequent in males and occurring
uncommonly in children.5,8 In the United States, the estimated incidence is between 68,000 and 96,000 cases per year.
However, the actual incidence of perianal abscesses is underestimated, considering that this is a condition that nowadays
can be seen with spontaneous drainage; in addition, there is
the possibility of treatment in the emergency room itself, or
even in the physician’s office.9
In this study, our goal was to conduct a retrospective study
of cases of perianal and anorectal abscess operated in Santa
Marcelina Hospital between October 2011 and December 2014.
Materials and methods
This is a retrospective study through an analysis of electronic medical records of patients operated on an emergency
basis for perianal and/or anorectal abscess in Santa Marcelina
j coloproctol (rio j). 2 0 1 6;3 6(3):149–152
Table 1 – Symptomatology of patients with perianal and
anorectal abscess.
Ache
Bulging
Secretion
Signs of inflammation
52 (100%)
23 (44.2%)
9 (17.3%)
9 (17.3%)
Hospital between October 2011 and December 2014; patients
with inflammatory bowel disease were excluded.
Gender, age, clinical presentation, the season of the year in
which the abscess occurred, time of progression of symptoms,
comorbidities, signs of Systemic Inflammatory Response
Syndrome (SIRS) on admission, surgeries carried out, reoperations, and clinical outcomes were analyzed.
Results
Electronic medical records of 52 patients (73.1% male) who
underwent surgical treatment of anorectal and perianal
abscess were analyzed. The mean overall age was 43.03 years
(20–77 years), with the same mean age in males, and 42.2 years
for females.
With regard to complaints, all patients reported pain as a
symptom, 23 patients (44.2%) reported perianal bulging and 9
(17.3%) informed discharge and signs of inflammation (17.3%)
(Table 1). The mean time of progression of symptoms was 6.5
days, ranging from 1 to 30 days. Half of the patients had no
comorbidities, 21.2% were smokers and 15.4% were carriers of
diabetes mellitus. As for signs of SIRS on admission, this was
found in only 3 patients (5.8%).
As for the season of the year in the onset and diagnosis of
perianal abscess, 61.5% of patients had this pathology in the
summer and spring months.
In 47 patients (90.4%) only abscess drainage was carried
out; in one case there was the need for a colostomy, as this
patient was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis intraoperatively. In the remaining 5 patients (9.6%) drainage and passage
of a Seton were conducted. In only one patient, excluding the
case of necrotizing fasciitis, a reoperation was required within
the first 10 days after the initial surgery.
The mean hospitalization time was 1.63 days (1–21 days)
and after the exclusion of the patient with Fournier’s gangrene, this mean time decreased to 1.25 days, ranging from 1
to 3 days. Twenty-nine patients (55.8%) were lost to outpatient
follow-up; thus, it was not possible to assess their outcome.
Thirteen of 23 remaining patients (56.5%) developed a perianal fistula in their progression and 10 (43.5%) patients were
discharged without a new surgical approach.
Discussion
As the terminal portion of the rectum goes through the
pelvic floor muscles, becoming the anal canal, creases known
as columns of Morgagni, are formed; in these creases, anal
crypts are located at their lower end.8 Microtrauma and fecal
stasis induced in these glands explain the formation of a
pyogenic cryptitis with subsequent formation of anorectal
abscesses.3,10
151
Abcarian et al.,9 taking into account that 26–37% of
abscesses evolve to a fistula,11,12 and analyzing data about this
disease, report an annual incidence of anorectal abscesses of
68,000–96,000 cases per year in the United States of America.
These authors also report that most patients with anorectal
suppuration are aged between 20 and 60 years, with a mean
of 40 years. Furthermore, studies have reported an incidence
twice as high in men, reaching up to 83.9% of cases.4,11,13 Similarly, we found in our study a mean age of 43.03 years, more
frequently in male (73.1% of cases).
Clinically, this disease is manifested by a constant and progressive acute pain that may worsen with defecation,5 besides
showing an association with signs of Systemic Inflammatory
Response Syndrome (SIRS). In cases of perianal abscess, one
can find a local hyperemia and pain with floating and cellulitis
in its periphery.8,14
Sometimes, and in situations of deeper abscesses, these
signals are more difficult to be found, and the physician should
value digital rectal examination and complementary investigation, either by CT, pelvic MRI, or endoanal ultrasound.15
Czeiger et al.1 carried out one survey and analysis of 1415
patients enrolled in the study over 11 years and found that
73.6% were male and that the mean hospitalization time was
2.1 ± 0.8 days. One hundred and eighty-eight patients (16.4%)
required more than one abscess incision/drainage surgery
during hospitalization; among these patients, 21.8% had more
than one recurrence. In this study, it was found that only two
patients (3.8%) required reoperation, and one of them suffered
necrotizing fasciitis.
In this respect, Akkapulu et al.4 evaluated 93 patients with
anorectal abscess and sought to identify factors related to
clinical recurrence. These authors found that there was no
statistically significant correlation with respect to gender, age,
type of abscess, use of a drain, and fistula identification in the
first surgery.
Although some studies have not observed an occurrence of
predisposition with seasonality or certain months,9 Vasilevsky
and Gordon12 reported a higher prevalence in June (summer in their countries) and a lower incidence in August and
September. We observed that there was a higher incidence
of diagnoses of perianal abscess in the summer and spring
months (61.5%).
Considering that in most cases of anorectal abscess the
patients are seen and operated on an emergency basis, Jimeno
et al.16 conducted one prospective study in order to verify
the importance of the clinical symptoms in the accuracy of
anorectal disorders. For this purpose, these authors divided
the group between surgeons and physicians with clinical specialties, involving a total of 44 participants. In our study, it has
been found that both groups were able to diagnose patients
with anorectal abscess solely viewing images in 100% versus
80.4%, respectively, that is, between surgeons and medical
doctors (p = 0.157). However, greater accuracy for all participants was found when the clinical history was associated with
the image of the abscess (p = 0.025).
Regarding the treatment of perianal abscess, it is recommended to make an incision and drainage with debridement
of necrotic and devitalized tissue. The search for a fistula and
a possible internal orifice of the fistula is an important part
of the procedure that should be performed by a thorough
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j coloproctol (rio j). 2 0 1 6;3 6(3):149–152
proctologic examination with digital rectal examination and
anoscopy. The literature recommends that in cases of intersphincteric or low transphincteric fistulas, one can make a
fistulotomy; and in cases of doubt or of complex fistulas, one
must introduce a Seton.8,17,18
On the other hand, considering that the perianal abscess
drainage surgery is usually performed by general surgeons (in
some cases not very familiar with anorectal anatomy), and
also considering the local septic process with loss of normal
architecture, we believe that the making of a large abscess
drainage at the nearest possible point from the anal margin and parallel to the fibers of the external anal sphincter
muscle,5 along with debridement of devitalized tissue and the
introduction of a Seton in cases of identification of an internal
fistulous orifice would be the most prudent strategy. Czeiger
et al.1 also share this view and recommend that the fistulotomy should be performed only when the surgery is being
performed by an experienced proctologist.
With respect to the implementation and application or
non-application of a latex drain to the abscess cavity, Billingham et al.19 recommend that the attending surgeon relinquish
(or can give up) this procedure, provided that an adequate
drainage has been obtained. On the other hand, one should
recommend a post-operative procedure with the use of antibiotics in patients with diabetes, morbid obesity, immune
deficiency, in cardiac prosthesis users, or in cases of extensive cellulitis.3,9 Furthermore, it is important that in situations
of persistent fever, cellulitis or leukocytosis after the initial drainage, the surgeon proceeds to an anorectal surgical
exploration.9 Still with that in mind, Sözener et al.13 demonstrated that postoperative treatment with antibiotic therapy
does not decrease the risk of a future formation of an anorectal
fistula.
Conclusion
Our study corroborates literature data on the prevalence
of gender and prevalence period, drawing attention to the
seriousness that some cases may represent in the event of
progression to necrotizing fasciitis and the need to fine-tune
the initial treatment, respecting the degree of knowledge and
expertise of the attending physician, in order to avoid serious and permanent sequels of such a common pathology in
emergency rooms.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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