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Surg."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>The optimal treatment approach for perianal abscess (PA) and fistula-in-ano (FIA) in infants remains a subject of debate.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Material and Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A thorough literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of eighteen retrospective studies, encompassing 1,770 patients, were analyzed. Of the 702 cases (38.7%) that underwent conservative treatment, 528 cases (75.2%) achieved a cure, while 174 cases (24.8%) were unsuccessful, with 93 experiencing PA recurrence and 81 developing FIA. In contrast, among the 1,068 cases (61.3%) that received surgical interventions, 784 cases (73.4%) were cured, whereas 284 cases (26.6%) were not, with 151 experiencing PA recurrence and 133 developing FIA.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The available studies indicate minimal differences in the cure and recurrence rates of PA and FIA between the conservative and surgical treatment groups.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Systematic Review Registration<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:uri>https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/PROSPERO\/<\/jats:uri>, PROSPERO (CRD42023472249).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fsurg.2025.1572049","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]],"date-time":"2025-06-13T05:49:27Z","timestamp":1749793767000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Treatment of perianal abscess and anal fistula in infants: a systematic review"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Jinlan","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Xiong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cong","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1848","DOI":"10.1016\/s0022-3468(98)90305-0","article-title":"Perianal abscess and fistula-in-ano in infants","volume":"33","author":"Laberge","year":"1998","journal-title":"J Pediatr Surg"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"927","DOI":"10.1177\/0003134820954829","article-title":"Treatment of perianal abscess and fistula in infants and young children: from basic etiology to clinical features","volume":"87","author":"Ding","year":"2021","journal-title":"Am Surg"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"735","DOI":"10.1007\/s10151-016-1536-1","article-title":"A systematic review of the management of anal fistula in infants","volume":"20","author":"Emile","year":"2016","journal-title":"Tech Coloproctol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1027","DOI":"10.1007\/s00104-006-1223-2","article-title":"Perianal abscess and anal fistula in infancy and childhood. 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