Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients.
| Item | SPF group (%) | LIFT group (%) | t/Z/χ2 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 33 (80.5) | 25 (71.4) | 0.857 | 0.354 |
| Female | 8 (19.5) | 10 (28.6) | ||
| Mean age (SD), years | 36.6 ± 9.0 | 35.0 ± 9.2 | 0.759 | 0.450 |
| Mean follow-up time (SD), months | 11.4 ± 3.5 | 10.7 ± 4.3 | 0.774 | 0.441 |
| Median length of fistula (range), cm | 4 (3–10) | 4 (3–13) | −0.357 | 0.721 |
| Location of the internal opening | ||||
| Anterior | 17 (39.5) | 28 (80) | 15.011 | 0.001 |
| Lateral | 9 (20.9) | 5 (14.3) | ||
| Posterior | 17 (39.5) | 2 (5.7) | ||
| Intra-operative identification of the | ||||
| internal opening | ||||
| Yes | 24 (55.8) | 22 (62.9) | 0.396 | 0.529 |
| No | 19 (44.2) | 13 (37.1) | ||
| Semi-horse fistula | ||||
| Yes | 11 (25.6) | 4 (11.4) | 2.488 | 0.115 |
| No | 32 (74.4) | 31 (88.6) | ||
| Parks classification of fistula | ||||
| High transsphincteric tract | 36 (83.7) | 34 (97.1) | 2.459 | 0.117 |
| Suprasphincteric tract | 7 (16.3) | 1 (2.9) | ||
| Previous history of operation | ||||
| Abscess incision and drainage | 1 (2.4) | 2 (5.7) | 0.593 | 0.744 |
| Fistulectomy | 3 (7.3) | 2 (5.7) | ||
| No | 37 (90.2) | 31 (88.6) | ||
| Fecal continence function | ||||
| Median Wexner score (range) | 0 (0-2) | 0 (0-1) | −0.463 | 0.643 |
| Mean MRP (SD), kPa | 14.7 ± 2.8 | 15.3 ± 2.8 | −0.957 | 0.342 |
| Mean MSP (SD), kPa | 39.8 ± 4.0 | 40.7 ± 3.7 | −0.997 | 0.322 |
| FIQL score | ||||
| Lifestyle (range) | 4 (3.8-4) | 4 (3.9-4) | −0.463 | 0.643 |
| Coping (range) | 4 (3.8-4) | 4 (3.8-4) | −0.448 | 0.654 |
| Depression (range) | 4 (4-4) | 4 (4-4) | 0.000 | 1.000 |
| Embarrassment (range) | 4 (3.7-4) | 4 (3.7-4) | −0.113 | 0.910 |
SD, standard deviation; MRP, maximum resting anal canal pressure; MSP, maximum squeeze pressure; FIQL, fecal incontinence quality of life.