Efficacy of flap repair for anal fistula: study protocol for a systematic review of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have reported that flap repair (FR) can treat anal fistula (AF) effectively. However, no study systematically investigated its efficacy and safety for patients with AF. This study will systematically assess its efficacy and safety of AF. METHODS: We will retrieve MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Elsevier, Springer, Web of Science, Scopus, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Information, and Wanfang Data from their inceptions to May 1, 2019 without any language limitations. The primary outcome is fistula cure rate. The secondary outcomes consist of fistula recurrence rate, fecal continence, quality of life, and complications. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for methodological quality assessment, data synthesis, subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: The results of this study will summarize a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for the treatment of FR for patients with AF. CONCLUSION: The findings of this proposed study will provide evidence for judging whether FR is an effective and safety intervention for AF or not. PROSPERO registration number: PROSPERO CRD42019135507.