Perirectal Abscess Drainage
A peri-rectal abscess is an infected boil-like swollen pocket filled with pus found near the anus or rectum. Most anal abscesses are a result of infection from small anal glands. It may be red in color and warm to the touch.
Causes
There is an area of the anal canal where the lining of the gut changes to tissue that is more like skin. This area can have a number of folds, or “crypts,” that can get blocked. The resulting infection creates pus, which collects in areas around the anal canal.
Symptoms
Pain, fever and/or chills, tired feeling, a lump in the perianal area that gets bigger without being treated.
Treatments
Once a perirectal abscess has grown to a size that becomes painful, the most appropriate treatment is usually surgical drainage. If the abscess is readily apparent, this can be done in the office, the emergency department. For deeper abscesses patients may need to be taken to surgery to be drained under anesthesia.
You can try a “sitz” bath. This is a shallow, warm bath that helps clean and heal the anal area. Do that twice a day for 30 minutes each bath. If that doesn’t take care of the symptoms, the best thing to do is to reach out to to us for further assistance
Sometimes abscesses come back, why does that happen?
An abscess can reoccur for two main reasons. First, if the initial abscess is not completely drained and the skin heals over before the pus can completely drain. In this case, another incision and drainage procedure is necessary. Second, anal fistula is formed. This is a tunnel that forms between the anal canal and the area where the abscess appears on the skin.