Study	Reason for exclusion
Abcarian 1980	non randomised study, LIS vs PMS
AlRaymoony 2001	RCT of anaesthetic technique but measured outcome neither cure nor incontinence
Barisone 2004	non‐randomized study, LIS vs PMS
Bekheit 1974	non‐randomized study, AS vs. LIS vs PMS
Bouchard 2010	Randomisation information unclear as only abstract available at present.
Cho 2005	non‐randomized study of "controlled sphincterotomy vs. LIS
Collopy 1979	non‐randomized study of AS vs. sphincterotomy
Ektov 1986	non‐randomized study of open vs. closed sphincterotomy
Garcia 1996	non‐randomized study of open vs. closed sphincterotomy
Giebel 1989	non‐randomized study of AS vs.LIS
Gupta 2007	RCT of post‐operative sitz bath for chronic fissure with identical operations performed in both groups
Gupta2006	RCT of Acute Fissure. No surgery performed
Hancke 2009	Excessive dropout rate (40% from the 2003 included study to this one)
Hawley 1969	Randomization routinely broken at surgeons discretion in a study of AS vs. LIS vs. PMS
Hoffman 1970	non‐randomized study of AS vs. LIS vs. PMS
Lewis 1988	non‐randomized study of open versus closed sphincterotomy
Oueidat 1999	non‐randomized study of AS vs. LIS vs. PMS
Pernikoff 1994	non‐randomized study of open versus closed sphincterotomy