Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10
pubmed:dateCreated
1989-11-14
pubmed:abstractText
Rectovaginal fistulas in the setting of Crohn's disease present a difficult management dilemma. Some patients with this problem require proctocolectomy, yet other patients with minimal symptoms never require an operation for treatment of the rectovaginal fistula. For a small percentage of patients, local surgical repair of the fistula may be warranted. Since 1980, this study has attempted local repair in seven patients with symptomatic rectovaginal fistulas from Crohn's disease. Five patients underwent staged repair of the fistula. Closure of the colostomy was eventually possible in three of these patients. Two of the three patients have had no evidence of recurrence at followup in excess of two years. The third patient required an ileostomy for intestinal disease and had no recurrence of the fistula. Two patients underwent primary repair of the rectovaginal fistula without fecal diversion; in one of these patients, the fistula recurred ten days after operation, necessitating a diverting ileostomy. The other patient remains cured 26 months after repair. The results of this review indicate that in the setting of quiescent rectal disease, an attempt to repair the fistula can be expected to have a reasonable chance of success. The presence of a rectovaginal fistula in a patient with Crohn's disease does not mandate removal of the rectum.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0012-3706
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
32
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
825-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1989
pubmed:articleTitle
Rectovaginal fistula in Crohn's disease.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article