Rectourethral Fistulas: A Review

Amato A

Department of Surgery, Hospital of Sanremo, Italy

^*Correspondance to: Antonio Amato 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.1121

Abstract

Rectourethral fistula is an uncommon but challenging disease that may have a congenital or acquired origin. The most frequent etiologies are traumatic and iatrogenic. In the last decades the widespread use of radiation therapy for prostate cancer led to an increase of complex cases. The diagnostic work up is usually not demanding. Spontaneous closure can be achieved after single or double diversion in small, non irradiated fistulas. Many patients will ultimately require surgery and several surgical procedures have been described. The available literature shows retrospective studies of small series on single techniques and does not allow an objective comparison because patients and disease characteristics are markedly different among reports. The optimal therapeutic choice for every stage of the disease still remains controversial and no single procedure has been proven to be the best treatment.

Keywords

Cite the article

Amato A. Rectourethral Fistulas: A Review. Clin Surg. 2016; 1: 1121.