Anal Abscess (cont.)

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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Anal Abscess Follow-up

Patients may have pain for several days following surgery, but should improve over time.

Patients may not have stitches. Infected wounds such as abscesses are left open to drain. If they were stitched shut they would just fill with pus again. There may be packing left in the wound, which usually will be removed by the health care practitioner after a few days.

Patients may need to take an antibiotic and pain medication for several days, depending on their condition.

Using stool softeners and adhering to good hygiene, such as sitz baths after every bowel movement, decreases the patient's discomfort and helps recovery.

Anal Abscess Prognosis»

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