Incidence of anal fistula after pyogenic perianal abscess drainage in Kingdom of Bahrain

Purpose: Perianal fistula is one of the most common anorectal diseases in adult patients, especially men. A relationship between pyogenic perianal abscess and fistula formation is established in multiple domains. This is the first exploration of such association among patients in the country as no related study has been published in Bahrain. We expect this study to be a foundation for future protocols and evidence-based practice.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in Salmaniya Medical Complex of Bahrain. A total of 109 patients with a diagnosis of anal abscess were included between 2015 and 2018. Data were collected from the electronic files database used in Salmaniya Medical Complex (iSeha) as well as phone calls to the patients. Collected data were analyzed using statistical software.Results: The most predominant presentation of perianal abscess was pain. Over 50% of abscesses were classified as perianal (56.9%) and among those, left-sided abscesses were more common, followed by right-, posterior-, and anterior-sited, respectively. No recurrence of abscess was recorded among 80% of patients. A fistula developed following abscess drainage in 33.9% of patients. Most fistulas (37.8%) were diagnosed within 6 months or less from abscess drainage. Posterior fistulas were the most common, followed by anterior and left-sided fistulas.Conclusion: The incidence of anal fistula in Bahrain after perianal abscess was 33.9%. Most of the patients who developed a fistula following pyogenic abscess drainage were males and above the age of 40 years. The most common site for fistula was posterior.