Systematic review of efficacy of LIFT procedure in crpytoglandular fistula-in-ano

BACKGROUND: fistula-in-ano is a common problem. Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) is a new addition to the list of operations available to deal with complex fistula-in-ano. OBJECTIVE: we sought to qualitatively analyze studies describing LIFT for crpytoglandular fistula-in-ano and determine its efficacy. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (Pubmed, Ovid), Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Library were searched. STUDY SELECTION: all clinical trials which studied LIFT or compared LIFT with other methods of treatment for anal fistulae, prospective observational studies, clinical registry data and retrospective case series which reported clinical healing of the fistula as the outcome were included. Case reports, studies reporting a combination with other technique, modified technique, abstracts, letters and comments were excluded. INTERVENTION: the intervention was ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract in crpytoglandular fistula-in-ano. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: primary outcome measured was success rate (fistula healing rate) and length of follow-up