Anal stenosis: what is it and how is it treated?
Anal stenosis, also known as narrowing of the anus, causes inconvenience in passing stool as well as pain and discomfort. If you want to know more about this condition, what is anal stenosis and how to treat it, keep reading.
What is anal stenosis?
The narrowing of the anal canal , that is, the end of the tube through which feces are expelled from the body, is medically known as anal stenosis.
When anal stenosis occurs, the correct and normal elasticity of the anal canal is lost, causing rigidity and narrowing and causing dysfunction when defecating. This condition can arise when there is resection of perianal lesions as the anal epithelium and rectal mucosa are greatly dried, leaving scars that can aggravate the situation, being a chronic anal stenosis and deteriorating anal flexibility.
Causes of anal stenosis
Among the most common causes of anal stenosis are surgeries to remove a hemorrhoid, wart, or fistula. This type of surgery can produce scar tissue that is stiff and causes narrowing. Redness and swelling can also result in this scar tissue. This could happen if you have an inflammatory bowel disease , such as Crohn’s disease. Other causes may be infections in that area , or radiation therapy due to cancer in that area.
Symptoms of anal stenosis
Anal stenosis manifests itself with pain when defecating, having to exert great force to expel the stool, constipation or diarrhea, thin stools , and the need to use laxatives or enemas to be able to relieve the body. In addition, it is common for anal stenosis to add an anal fissure and anal pain and burning, as well as bleeding when defecating.
How is anal stenosis treated?
If there is difficulty in evacuating, bleeding in the stool or narrowing of the anal canal, seek medical help. The coloproctologist is the specialist specifically trained to give an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment for these pathologies. In the case of anal stenosis, it will be treated according to its severity and magnitude.
Conservative measures are taken to treat mild to moderate anal stenosis. These measures consist of softening the stool and performing gentle maneuvers to dilate the anus .
- To make the stool softer and larger to open a mild anal stenosis, you can eat foods rich in fiber and add stool softeners , laxatives, and lubricants.
- There are different ways to perform anal dilation, depending on the stenosis, it can be done with your fingers at home or with specialized instruments on an outpatient basis.
If the previous measures are not successful, if the anal stenosis is moderate to severe, or if the stenosis is punctate, surgical treatment is required .
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