Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of two surgical treatments for complex anal fistula.Methods Eighty patients with complicated anal fistula who were admitted to our hospital from September 2014 to March 2019 were enrolled.According to the different surgical methods, they were divided into reference group and observation group, with 40 cases in each group.Traditional incision and suture technique was used in the reference group, and sphincter fistula ligation was performed in the observation group.Clinical treatment effect, intraoperative blood loss, wound area, operation time, wound healing time, anal function, and complications were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups (P>0.05).The amount of blood loss, wound area, and wound healing time in the observation group were significantly less than those in the reference group (P<0.05).After 6 months, the score of anal function and the complication rate in the observation group were lower than those in the reference group (P<0.05).Conclusion In the treatment of complex anal fistula, sphincter fistula ligation is better than traditional incision and suture because it shortens the time of wound healing and has higher clinical value.Therefore, it is worthy of promotion.