CRAFT study: CRyptoglandular Anal Fistula Treatment
Aim
To provide comprehensive insights into current work-up pathways, diagnostic and treatment modalities for patients undergoing treatment for cryptoglandular anal fistulas. The study will assess outcomes from AF-COMS, including both clinician-reported and patient-reported measures, over a 12-month follow-up.
Study design
International, multicentre, prospective cohort study.
About the project
Determining the optimal therapy for individual patients remains challenging due to the wide range of surgical interventions and limited comparative effectiveness data.
To address this, a standardized set of outcomes agreed upon by patients and healthcare providers is crucial. Therefore the Anal Fistula Core Outcome Measurement Set (AF-COMS) was developed to define essential outcomes and reporting tools, enabling consistent comparisons across future studies.
The CRAFT study leverages AF-COMS to evaluate current diagnostic and treatment approaches, providing insights into work-up strategies and identifying the most effective interventions.
Patient inclusion runs from April to July 2025, with the latest follow-up ending June 2026.
Publications:
Research area:
Project Investigator (PI)
Project participants:
Sub-Investigator: Helle Ø Kristensen, MD, ph.d., hellkren@rm.dk
Local collaborator: Emma Holck, master's thesis student, 201904234@post.au.dk
Local collaborator: Anders Torp Fast, MD, andfas@rm.dk
Funding:
- A.M.I. - Agency for Medical Innovations
- Biolitec
- Karl Storz SE & CO. KG.