Alternativas quirúrgicas en el manejo de la fístula rectovaginal: experiencia de 25 años

Abstract

BackgroundRectovaginal fistula (RVF) is a distressing condition with no generally accepted standard surgical management. AimTo assess results of surgery for RVF. Material and methodThis is a descriptive retrospective analysis of 63 patients operated on consecutively for RVF in a period of 25 years. ResultsHalve of the cases were secondary to a pelvic malignancy and 27% due to radiotherapy of pelvic tumors. RVFs were associated with local (obstetrical) trauma and postsurgical complications in 28% of the cases. High RVFs were approached through abdominal procedures in 26 patients (41%), including radical resection of the primary tumor in 11 cases and coloanal sleeve anastomosis procedure in 15 patients with a RVF due to pelvic radiation. Seventeen patients with persistent pelvic tumors after radiotherapy and/or surgery were handled with a colostomy or ileostomy to improve quality of life. Four of five cases with postsurgical RVF closed spontaneously with a proximal colostomy and, in seven patients with obstetrical RVF, an advancement flaps were performed, with success in 6. ConclusionsIn this study local repair of RVF was employed in 12 cases, one third of the cases needed a permanent ostomy, and 40% of the complex cases of RVF were successfully repaired with sphincter preservation. Comparisons with other studies are precluded because of heterogeneity of published RVF series, probably due to different patterns of reference.