Benign Duodeno-Colic Fistula

Abstract

DUODENO-COLIC fistula is a rare finding and of the few cases reported in the literature only two have been described as being due to benign lesions; it is an abstract of these two cases which will be given in this paper. The other cases were all due to a carcinoma of the transverse colon perforating into the duodenum. Other cases may have been reported in connection with other lesions of the gastro-intestinal tract, but I have been able to find only two cases reported under the heading of “duodeno-colic fistula” from 1885 up to the present time. The etiology of benign duodeno-colic fistula is usually a perforation of a duodenal ulcer into the transverse colon with a resulting fistula between the two. Other benign lesions may cause a fistula between the duodenum and colon, but none could be found reported in the literature. The absence of a typical history of duodenal ulcer does not exclude this as the cause, for we are all familiar with cases of duodenal ulcer in which the only sign or symptom of the ulce...