The importance of three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound in the study of patients with anal pain

• Autor(a) principal: Lima,Doryane Maria dos Reis
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Sagae,Univaldo Etsuo, Kurachi,Gustavo, Hamaoui,Salua, Tanaka,Tomaz Massayuki, Bonatto,Mauro Willemann, Tsuchiya,Ricardo Shigueo, Carvalho,Carlos Alberto de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Journal of Coloproctology (Rio de Janeiro. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-93632015000100053
• topic: Anal pain; Anorectal ultrasound; Intersphincteric sepsis

OBJECTIVES: Anal pain can be caused by various medical conditions; the exclusion of organic causes for proper treatment is important. Three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound can identify organic causes of anal pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound in the detection of organic abnormalities in patients with anal pain. METHODS: Twenty-two patients (mean age: 49 years; 13 women) with chronic anal pain were enrolled to join a prospective study between June 2009 and June 2011. A complete proctology and colonoscopy examination was normal. Subsequently, the patients underwent three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound. RESULTS: Intersphincteric sepsis was found in 14 patients (63.6%). Two female patients (9.1%) had anal sphincter injury, one of them with the presence of a grade II rectocele. There was an increase in the thickness of the subepithelial tissue in three patients (13.6%). In one patient (4.6%), the presence of a hypoechoic circular retrorectal (presacral) cyst of the middle and lower rectum was observed. The three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound examination showed no abnormalities in two patients (9.1%). CONCLUSION: The three-dimensional anorectal ultrasound is a simple, economical, fast and useful test for the study of anorectal diseases and should be included in the examination of patients with anal pain, to exclude organic causes.