Vesicovaginal fistula. Modification of the surgical technique

Abstract

Vesicovaginal fistulas are known from the ancient times. Mahfouz described one in an Egyptian mummy. Nowadays the most frequent cause is the hysterectomy. The success in repairing a fistula depends on: time of fistula's formation, aetiology, location, study of the patient and the fistula, surgical technique and urologist's experience. We carried out a longitudinal descriptive study to state the advantages of the modification of the surgical techniques, in the years from 2001 and 2008 at the Urology Service of the Teaching Hospital Iluminado Rodríguez of Jagüey Grande, Matanzas. 21 21-to-50 years-old patients were operated. The causes of entering the hospital were urine incontinence and antecedents of gynaecologic surgical intervention. The hospital records were used to obtain the data collected in the patients´ clinical records. 76 % of the cases were between 31 and 45 years old, denoting its great frequency among women in fertile age and of the higher socio-economic status, being statistically significant abdominal hysterectomies in the fistula genesis with more than 85.7 %. We proved that the most used surgical treatment use was the abdominal one, and generally the location was retrotrigonal. It was achieved the recovering of the physiologic urinary function and $ 750.00 were saved in each case. All the patients recovered the familiar peace, and returned to social and laboral life.