Anal Fissures

Anal Fissure Treatment Singapore
What are Anal Fissures
Dr Tan Wah Siew
Dr Tan Wah Siew
Senior Consultant Colorectal Surgeon
MBBS, MMed (Surgery), FAMS, FRCSEd
An anal fissure is a tear of the inner lining of the anus.

This usually develops as a result of passage of hard or large stools, but can sometimes also happen after severe diarrhoea. Other less common causes of fissures include inflammatory bowel disease and anal cancer.

Symptoms of anal fissure include anal pain as well as bleeding. Most anal fissures are acute fissures that heal on their own. However, some fissures persist beyond 6 weeks and are then considered chronic fissures. It is believed that chronic fissures develop because of anal muscle spasm which can then lead to poor blood supply to the muscle.

Treatment of chronic anal fissures include:

  • Stools softeners and painkillers
  • Medications that help to relieve anal sphincter spasm, allowing the fissure to heal
    • Glycerine trinitrate ointment
    • Calcium channel blocker ointment (not available in Singapore)
    • Botox injection into the anal sphincters
  • Surgery
    • If the above treatment modalities fail to heal the fissure, surgery with a lateral anal sphincterotomy may be required.
Male General Surgeon
Singapore male Surgeon
Dr Tan Wah Siew

Senior Consultant Colorectal Surgeon

MBBS, MMed (Surgery), FAMS, FRCSEd

Dr Tan Wah Siew is a Senior Consultant Colorectal Surgeon with experience in colorectal cancer, minimally invasive surgery and complex bowel conditions. Prior to private practice, she served as Senior Consultant at the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Singapore General Hospital and was the first female consultant colorectal surgeon in SGH's history. She was also among the earliest female general surgeons in Singapore trained in robotic colorectal surgery. Dr Tan further advanced her expertise through a Ministry of Health sponsored fellowship at St. James University Hospital in the United Kingdom, where she received specialised training in minimally invasive and robotic colorectal surgery, inflammatory bowel disease surgery and the management of advanced and recurrent pelvic cancers.

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