Anorectal Diseases

How to Cite This Chapter: Yoon HM, McKechnie T, Eskicioglu C. Anorectal Diseases. McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine. Kraków: Medycyna Praktyczna. https://empendium.com/mcmtextbook/chapter/B31.II.4.23.?utm_source=nieznany&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=social-chapter-link Accessed October 15, 2024.
Last Updated: February 3, 2017
Last Reviewed: January 23, 2021
Chapter Information

IntroductionTop

Anorectal complaints may be due to benign anorectal disorders or malignancy. Common symptoms include pain, swelling, discharge, and rectal bleeding. Systemic symptoms and changes in bowel movements may also occur.

One useful way of classifying benign anorectal disorders is to divide them into those that cause pain and those that do not. Common painful anorectal conditions include anorectal abscess, anal fissure, and thrombosed external hemorrhoids. Common painless anorectal conditions include fistula in ano and symptomatic internal hemorrhoids.

Diagnostic studies to investigate anorectal disorders include assessment of the perineum, digital rectal examination, and anoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Other studies that are sometimes necessary include transrectal/endoanal ultrasonography (evaluation of the structure of and defects in the anal sphincter), anal manometry (evaluation of anal sphincter function), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

We would love to hear from you

Comments, mistakes, suggestions?

We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience on our website. Refer to our Cookies Information and Privacy Policy for more details.