This issue of “Progress in Medicine” has been entirely devoted to the diseases of the anal canal and the perianal area.

An editorial on the correct terminology in proctology deals with a serious problem in the correct proctologic nomenclature. The need to standardize the proctologic terminology has also been pointed out by the precursor of proctology in Poland Mieczysław Tylicki, but to date there is no consensus on the subject. I think that the article by Professor Krzysztof Bielecki will provide a starting point for a broader discussion.

Two original articles cover the issue ofthe usability of transrectal ultrasonography in the preoperative diagnosis of anal fistula. The use of ultrasound in proctology was a milestone in the diagnosis of proctologic diseases and currently, transrectal ultrasonography in Poland has become the gold standard for preoperative diagnosis of anal fistula. In Western countries, magnetic resonance imaging is considered to be the gold standard in the preoperative diagnosis of anal fistula. In Poland, because of the high cost and low availability, MRI diagnosis is not routinely used in the case of anal fistulas. However, the diagnosis of patients with high fistulas, branched ones, especially in the course of Crohn’s disease, should be supplemented by magnetic resonance imaging. The authors of the center in Lublin present the diagnostic possibilities of endosonography with hydrogen peroxide administration in the case of fistulas in children. It is known that this diagnostic method is also used in adults with good results. Another original paper based on a large group of 424 patients dealing with transrectal ultrasonography is an article demonstrating the usefulness of this diagnostic method to differentiate high and low fistulas. The determination of the anatomical course of the fistula, and in particular, its relationship to the sphincter muscle is a key element in planning operational methods.