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Vaginal Fistula Repairs

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Female Pelvic Surgery

Abstract

A vaginal fistula is defined by extra-anatomic communication between the vaginal and an epithelial lined organ. This communication in the vagina may be straight forward with an abnormal connection to and involve the ureters, bladder, urethra, and rectum. A complex vaginal fistula might involve several different abdominal and pelvic organs which emphasize the importance of a complete workup before attempting to repair. A vaginal fistula negatively affects an individual’s quality of life and prompt repair is suitable in most patients that are properly selected. There are many surgical approaches to repair a fistula, the best repair centers on the first procedure being the most effective. However, there is a lack of high quality comparative studies to guide the surgeon. When selecting the initial surgical approach, the surgeon should consider their expertise and experience after a thorough evaluation to determine the etiology and location of the fistula. In this chapter we will focus on the etiology, diagnosis, evaluation, and surgical repair of vesicovaginal, urethrovaginal, and rectovaginal fistula.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Urology, San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA

    Forrest C. Jellison M.D.

  2. Department of Urology, Division of Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Shlomo Raz M.D.

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  1. Forrest C. Jellison M.D.
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  2. Shlomo Raz M.D.
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Correspondence to Shlomo Raz M.D. .

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  1. LIJ School of Medicine, The Smith Institute for Urology Hofstra North Shore-, Lake Success, New York, USA

    Farzeen Firoozi

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Jellison, F.C., Raz, S. (2015). Vaginal Fistula Repairs. In: Firoozi, F. (eds) Female Pelvic Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1504-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1504-0_10

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