Anal fissure is a painful linear tear situated in the distal anal canal extending from just below the dentate line to the anal verge. Patient presents with pain in anal region during or after defecation and passage of bright red blood per anus. Various studies investigating chronic anal fissures show a large variation in the healing rates for different modalities. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of open versus closed lateral internal sphincterotomy in the treatment of patients with chronic anal fissure.