Sphincterectomy

Sphincterectomy: Surgery to interfere with the muscle sphincter

In medical practice, there are a number of surgical procedures that may be necessary to eliminate various diseases and disorders in the body. Sphincterectomy, also known as the removal or excision of the sphincter muscle, is one such procedure that is used in various fields of medicine.

The muscular sphincter is a circular muscle that controls the passage of material through certain openings in the body. For example, the sphincters of the bladder and rectum help hold urine and stool until a person consciously decides to release them. However, in some cases, medical conditions arise that require intervention in these muscles.

A sphincterectomy is performed to either completely remove or partially excise the sphincter muscle. This procedure can be used in various fields of medicine, including urology, proctology and gastroenterology, depending on the specific disease or disorder.

One of the most common uses of sphincterectomy is to treat sphincteric insufficiency, a condition in which the muscular sphincter cannot properly control the passage of material through the opening. For example, if the rectal sphincter is insufficient, problems with bowel movements or fecal incontinence may occur. In such cases, a sphincterectomy may be recommended by a doctor to restore normal sphincter function and improve the patient's quality of life.

The sphincterectomy procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia. The surgeon makes small incisions in the area where the affected sphincter is located and carefully removes or excises it. Recovery from a sphincterectomy may take some time, and patients are usually advised to maintain certain restrictions and follow their doctor's recommendations regarding rehabilitation.

As with any surgical procedure, sphincterectomy is not without risks and complications. Possible complications may include bleeding, infection, scar tissue formation, and temporary or permanent impairment of sphincter function. Therefore, the doctor must carefully evaluate the benefits and risks of the procedure before prescribing it.

In conclusion, sphincterectomy is a surgical procedure that can be used in various fields of medicine to correct dysfunction of the muscular sphincter. It can be an effective way to treat sphincteric insufficiency and other related problems. However, before undergoing the procedure, the benefits and risks must be carefully assessed and discussed with the patient. The physician should be aware of all alternative treatment methods and take into account the individual characteristics of each patient before deciding on a sphincterectomy.



Sphincterotomy and sphincterectomy are two quite different interventions in the anal canal area. The differences can be either loud and obvious or completely invisible from the outside. The main difference between these two operations is that one of the interventions begins from the rectum, and the other ends in the rectum and affects more the area of ​​​​the distal third of the anal canal (after all, if you excise the sphincter from its opening, then it will have no place to grow) . But also during sphincterumectomy, the mucous membrane of the distal anal canal, where the sphincters are located, is also removed.

However, the operation begins and ends the same for both procedures. For sphincterotomies, access is either through the rectum or through the vagina for women, but most often, in principle, it all comes down to one type of surgical access - through an incision in the area of ​​the ischiorectal fossa, one of the most accessible areas in this area. The incision itself is quite small in size, slightly smaller than the palm, and this is where the mesentery of the rectus muscle ends, covering the outside of the rectum along with the sphincter, which allows the operating surgeon to reach all structures of the rectum. This access (posterior) to the rectum perfectly serves as an additional access for posterior fibrocolonoscopy (the advantage of the posterior approach is that the full lumen of the rectum is achieved, bypassing the zone of rigidity, so there is no intubation of the rectum for prophylactic purposes; in addition, you can use a rectal balloon catheter or colonoscope tube with a larger diameter), to the anal canal with a number of