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VAAFT procedure for fistula

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Posted 5/1/2019 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
Is there anyone out there with experience, good or bad, of the VAAFT procedure? I'm due in surgery at the end of the month to have it done on my fistula and knowing it's a new technique, wondered how others have got on with it.

Thanks
Posted 5/1/2019 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
I searched through the archives here & saw this procedure mentioned but could not find a member that actually had it done. I do know this was being done in the UK, I do not know if it's being done here in the states. I would like to think that by now it is available here. You may want to go to the Mayo Clinics.web site & read there. I am wondering if it's being done at the large teaching hospitals?

Sorry I am not a whole lot of help. Let us know if you do have the procedure done.
Posted 5/2/2019 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Quay,
Good to hear from you and that you are taking a next step in the process ;
Looking at your question in regards to VAAFT, I wanted to let you know that although I did not do the VAAFT I had collected every study on earth related to it and I still have the PDF Files(I am a real fistula scholar!) Most of these studies were freely available in PDF form when I googled them . So maybe you can take a look prior to the surgery to know what to expect (if they are still available). The titles are:
- Video--Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment (VAAFT) for Complex Anal Fistula: A Preliminary Evaluation in China
- Video Asssisted anal fistula treatment (VAAFT): a novel sphincter-saving procedure for treating complex anal fistulas P. Meinero and L. Mori
- Video Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment “VAAFT Technique” for Complex Perianal Fistulas - Hany Mohamed El-Barbary
- Minimally Invasive Anal Fistula Treatment (MAFT)—An Appraisal of Early Results in 416 Patients - P. K. Chowbey & R. Khullar & A. Sharma & V. Soni & K. Najma & M. Baijal
- VAAFT versus fistulectomy in the management of anorectal fistulae:a comparative study?
Mahidhar Reddy Venkatapuram, Sreeram Sateesh
- Video-Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment (VAAFT) in the management of complex anal fistula: single center experience of 224 consecutive patients. Stazi A1, Izzo P2, D'Angelo F3, Radicchi M1, Mazzi M1, Tomassini F3, Izzo L2, Valabrega S4. Author information Abstract
- Video-Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment
Gaurav Kochhar, MS, Sudipta Saha, MS, Manoj Andley, MS, Ashok Kumar, MS, Gyan Saurabh, MS, Rahul Pusuluri, MS, Vikas Bhise, MBBS, Ajay Kumar, MCh
- Clinical Study Video-Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment: Pros and Cons of This Minimally Invasive Method for Treatment of Perianal Fistulas
Michal Romaniszyn and Piotr Walega
- VAAFT: Video Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment; Bringing revolution in Fistula treatment Mohammad Zarin1, Muhammad Imran Khan2, Mukhtar Ahmad3, Muhammad Ibrahim4, Muhammad Asim Khan5
Hope you enjoy the reading I know how agonizing it is waiting for the surgery, and I believe those help you put this in perspective.
Posted 5/3/2019 9:12 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Dimitri,

Hope you're doing well - all good, no recurrence of the old enemy.

Thanks for all the reading. VAAFT has only recently been approved for use in public hospitals in the UK and there are still only four hospitals that do the procedure. I'm lucky that I live near to one of those and my usual CRS was happy to refer me onto them.

The biggest thing I have to get my head round is the change in the fistula. When it first formed in late 2011, the official description was 'Complex, high/ very high, trans-sphincteric' and my original CRS said 'that's tricky - I'll put in a drainage seton and leave it at that. Anything else carries a high risk on incontinence'. I've had problems over the years with the track blocking and then blowing open with the pressure behind it, which I can feel has made the seton much looser. The new hospital did an MRI scan and the description given to me this week was 'Simple, low, linear, inter-sphincteric'. New CRS read the new MRI report and said 'that's easy to deal with - we'll get you in straight away'. I suppose the seton has just pushed out like other body piercings can do. It certainly reads like it's come right through the external sphincter without me noticing any difference.

After so many years of being told nothing can be done, I think I'm just rather nervous about the change of approach. Let's hope the new MRI scan is right. Surgery scheduled for the 28th - will keep you posted on how it goes. Sounds like I might be the first person here to try the VAAFT.
Posted 5/3/2019 1:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Quay,
Yes I am fine, no recurrence, life is good indeed; Just some PTSD symptomssmile. Always checking with my good old friends here.
The evolvement of your fistula to a simple one is really interesting and great news too!!
I agree with your assessment. Based on studies a fistula can migrate lower if you have a draining seton for a long period of time.
Your new fistula sounds like a piece of cake; 100% success guaranteed, I would not worry at all if I were you. Given my experience on the subject matter post 4 surgeries, most likely I would have had a fistulotomy on the spot after such a diagnosis! Mine was mid to high transphincteric and so a lot tougher.

Post Edited (Dimitri71) : 5/3/2019 2:32:46 PM (GMT-6)

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