I have had so many replies and messages to my post I decided to make this post….
While you do not see much on this form about AD simply because for whatever reason it is not that available here in the U.S. Many that had an LIS, the healing process can be difficult, just look at posts where many have complications with this surgery. I just reed one where this person can barley move around post day 3…post day 3 for me, I walk my dog for about an hour I went to my daughters basket ball game, then went out to lunch with my family and that evening I went to the mall with my son! From my research, speaking with the OR nurse, my CRS and people I met that had an AD, my recovery is typical!!!! Read my other posts and do your research. The fact is there is no reason to have a LIS when you can do this....I have no vested intrest but to only help others as it has help me. Btw, the CRS in the video below is retired. I was able to research and find another CRS that perform this method….
.....When fissures fail to heal with non-surgical treatment, or when the fissure is chronic, recurrent or extremely painful, more aggressive measures to reduce the anal sphincter pressure are warranted, and most surgeons perform “lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS).” LIS has a high success rate, 90 to 95%; but can have complications, such as bleeding, infection, thrombosed hemorrhoids and fistula. There can be delayed or non-healing of the sphincterotomy surgical site, and persistence or recurrence of the fissure. This operation, in which anal muscle fibers are cut, has a significant chance of causing mild incontinence (loss of control). Reported rates of incontinence after sphincterotomy vary greatly. What surgeons will tell their patients about this operation also varies greatly. Some surgeons tell their patients they have never seen incontinence in any of their own patients. Others quote minor incontinence rates up to 30%; most quote rates in between. This is partly because of discrepancies between what patients tell their surgeon and what they report in questionnaires completed in a more private setting. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic warned that patients undergoing LIS need to be informed about the potential risks for incontinence to flatus (gas), which may occur in up to 30 percent of cases and could be permanent.
Anal dilatation (sphincter stretch) is another way to treat anal fissure. An older method of anal dilatation was commonly used until LIS was introduced in 1969. In this older method the surgeon inserted his fingers into the anus and spread the anal opening "manually." This was relatively uncontrolled, and often resulted in some degree of incontinence. In the 1970's LIS became the standard operation for anal fissure because it produced lower rates of incontinence than uncontrolled manual dilatation. In the 1990's Dr. Norman Sohn developed “Standardized Anal Dilatation.” This procedure stretches the sphincter muscle in a measured and controlled way that is significantly less likely to produce incontinence. This method also reduces the chances of other complications, such as bleeding and infection. Dr. Sohn treated more than 2000 fissures this way and claimed to have an 87% fissure healing rate (95% pain relief with or without full healing) and an incontinence rate of 0.3%.
http://www.thedoctorschannel.com/view/anal-dilatation-in-the-tx-of-anal-fissure-3/