Anal fissure classification
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Amandeep Singh M.D.[2]
Overview
Overview
Anal fissures can be divided into primary and secondary anal fissures, based on etiology; posterior and anterior anal fissures based on location; and acute and chronic anal fissures based on the duration of symptoms.
Classification
Classification
Anal fissures are divided into different categories according to different classification systems:[1][2][3][4]
- Anal fissure may be classified according to causative factors into 2 subtypes:
- Primary anal fissure- caused due to local trauma such as hard stools, prolonged diarrhea, vaginal delivery, repetitive injury or penetration. These are usually posterior and anterior in location.
- Secondary anal fissure- caused due to previous surgical procedures in the anal area, inflammatory bowel disease, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, HIV/AIDS, syphilis. They are usually multiple and lateral in position.
- Anal fissure may be classified into several subtypes based on location:
- Posterior anal fissures- it is found in 90% cases.
- Anterior anal fissures- seen in 10% of cases.
- Based on the duration of symptoms, an anal fissure may be classified as either acute (4-8 weeks), or chronic.
References
References
- ↑ Schlichtemeier S, Engel A (2016). “Anal fissure”. Aust Prescr. 39 (1): 14–7. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2016.007. PMC 4816871. PMID 27041801.
- ↑ Wehrli H (1996). “[Etiology, pathogenesis and classification of anal fissure]”. Swiss Surg (in German) (1): 14–7. PMID 8871258.
- ↑ Lund JN, Scholefield JH (1996). “Aetiology and treatment of anal fissure”. Br J Surg. 83 (10): 1335–44. PMID 8944447.
- ↑ Herzig DO, Lu KC (2010). “Anal fissure”. Surg. Clin. North Am. 90 (1): 33–44, Table of Contents. doi:10.1016/j.suc.2009.09.002. PMID 20109631.
Looking for the patient version?
© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH