Abstract
A vesicovaginal fistula may occur as a surgical complication, the result of obstructed labor, or a late manifestation of radiotherapy. Surgical treatment includes many routes and techniques, with a success rate reaching 100%. The spontaneous closure of vesicovaginal fistulae after bladder drainage alone for varying periods has been reported by many. The factors favoring the success of this conservative method have not been well esamined. In this paper, all articles refering to this modality were reveiwed. The parameters studied included etiology, size, interval from the causative insult to drainage, and duration of drainage. The incidence of spontaneous closure of fistulate after bladder drainage alone ranged 0 and 100%. Among all assessed criteria, the interval to drainage seems to have the best correlation with success. This findi ng is most likely explained on the basis of the epithelialization of the fistulous tract with time, preventing spontaneous healing. In the view of the retrospective nature of the reviewed articles, the absence of a detailed classification system, and the heterogeneity of the treatment in question, no solid conclusion regarding management recommendations can be drawn.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hilton P (2003) Vesico-vaginal fistulas in developing countries. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 82:285–295
Elkins TE (1994) Surgery for the obstetric vesicovaginal fistula: a review of 100 operations in 82 patients. Am J Obstet Gynecol 170:1108–1118
Flores-Carreras O, Cabrera JR, Galeano PA, Torres FE (2001) Fistulas of the urinary tract in gynecologic and obstetric surgery. Int Urogynecol J 12:203–214
Harkki-Siren P, Sjoberg J, Tiitinen A (1998) Urinary tract injuries after hysterectomy. Obstet Gynecol 92:113–118
Lee RA, Symmonds RE, Williams TJ (1988) Current status of genitourinary fistula. Obstet Gynecol 72:313–319
Emmert C, Kohler U (1996) Management of genital fistulas in patients with cervical cancer. Arch Gynecol Obstet 259:19–24
Sotelo R, Mariano MB, Garcia-Segui A, Dubois R, Spaliviero M, Keklikian W, Novoa J, Yaime H, Finelli A (2005) Laparoscopic repair of vesicovaginal fistula. J Urol 173:1615–1618
Frank RT (1917) Principles governing the spontaneous repair and operative closure of vesicovaginal fistulae. Surg Gynecol Obstet 25:538–550
Latzko W (1942) Postoperative vesicovaginal fistulas. Am J Surg 58:211–229
Falk HC, Orkin LA (1957) Nonsurgical closure of vesicovaginal fistulas. Obstet Gynecol 9:538–541
Naidu Prema M (1962) Vesicovaginal fistulas: experience with 208 cases. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw 69:311–316
Harrow BR (1969) Conservative and surgical management of bladder injuries following pelvic operations. Obstet Gynecol 33:852–855
O’Conor VJ Jr, Sokol JK, Bulkley GJ, Nanninga JB (1973) Suprapubic closure of vesicovaginal fistula. J Urol 109:51–54
Clark DH, Holland JB (1975) Repair of vesicovaginal fistulas: simultaneous transvaginal–transvesical approach. South Med J 68:1410–1413
Keettel WC, Sehring FG, deProsse CA, Scott JR (1978) Surgical management of urethrovaginal and vesicovaginal fistulas. Am J Obstet Gynecol 131:425–431
Marshall VF (1979) Vesicovaginal fistulas on one urological service. J Urol 121:25–29
Alonso Gorrea M, Fernandez Zuazu J, Mompo Sanchis JA, Jimenez-Cruz JF (1985) Spontaneous healing of uretero–vesico–vaginal fistulas. Eur Urol 11:341–343
Sotto LS (1990) Radical hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic node dissection. Our experience at the Philippine General Hospital. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol 11:447–452
Davits RJ, Miranda SI (1991) Conservative treatment of vesicovaginal fistulas by bladder drainage alone. Br J Urol 68:155–156
Tancer ML (1992) Observations on prevention and management of vesicovaginal fistula after total hysterectomy. Surg Gynecol Obstet 175:501–506
Chittacharoen A, Theppisai U (1993) Urological injury during gynecologic surgical procedures. J Med Assoc Thai 76:87–91
Kiilholma PJ, Haarala M, Soilu-Hanninen M, Virtanen H, Makinen JI, Hirvonen T, Nurmi M (1994) Urinary tract fistulas following abdominal hysterectomy. Ann Chir Gynaecol 208:40–42
Stovsky MD, Ignatoff JM, Blum MD, Nanninga JB, O’Conor VJ, Kursh ED (1994) Use of electrocoagulation in the treatment of vesicovaginal fistulas. J Urol 152:1443–1444
Soong Y, Lim PH (1997) Urological injuries in gynaecological practice—when is the optimal time for repair? Singapore Med J 38:475–478
Ramaiah KS, Kumar S (1998) Vesicovaginal fistula following masturbation managed conservatively. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 38:475–476
Cumming GP, Narayansingh GV, Parkin DE, Swami S (2000) Vesicovaginal fistula occurring 48 hours after insertion of a ring pessary. J Obstet Gynaecol 20:637
Volkmer BG, Kuefer R, Nesslauer T, Loeffler M, Gottfried HW (2000) Colour Doppler ultrasound in vesicovaginal fistulas. Ultrasound Med Biol 26:771–775
Dogra PN, Nabi G (2001) Laser welding of vesicovaginal fistula. Int Urogynecol J 12:69–70
Milicic D, Sprem M, Bagovic D (2001) A method for the repair of vesicovaginal fistulas. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 73:35–39
Mathevet P, Valencia P, Cousin C, Mellier G, Dargent D (2001) Operative injuries during vaginal hysterectomy. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 97:71–75
Ou CS, Huang UC, Tsuang M, Rowbotham R (2004) Laparoscopic repair of vesicovaginal fistula. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A 14:17–21
Naru T, Rizvi JH, Talati J (2004) Surgical repair of genital fistulae. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 30:293–296
Waaldijk K (2004) The immediate management of fresh obstetric fistulas. Am J Obstet Gynecol 191:795–799
Lentz SS (2005) Transvaginal repair of the posthysterectomy vesicovaginal fistula using a peritoneal flap: the gold standard. J Reprod Med 50:41–44
Enzelsberger H, Gitsch E (1991) Surgical management of vesicovaginal fistulas according to Chassar Moir’s method. Surg Gynecol Obstet 173:183–186
Weed JC (1967) Management of vesicovaginal fistula. Experience with 75 cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol 97:1071–1075
Waaldijk K (1994) The immediate surgical management of fresh obstetric fistulas with catheter and/or early closure. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 45:11–16
Waaldijk K (1997) Immediate indwelling bladder catheterization at postpartum urine leakage—personal experience of 1200 patients. Trop Doct 27:227–228
Huang WC, Zinman LN, Bihrle W 3rd (2002) Surgical repair of vesicovaginal fistulas. Urol Clin North Am 29:709–723
Eilber KS, Kavaler E, Rodriguez LV, Rosenblum N, Raz S (2003) Ten-year experience with transvaginal vesicovaginal fistula repair using tissue interposition. J Urol 169:1033–1036
Angioli R, Penalver M, Muzii L, Mendez L, Mirhashemi R, Bellati F, Croce C, Panici PB (2003) Guidelines of how to manage vesicovaginal fistula. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 48:295–304
Hyman RM (1965) Coagulation therapy for small vesicovaginal fistulas. Clin Obstet Gynecol 17:465–471
Waaldijk K (1995) Surgical classification of obstetric fistulas. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 49:161–163
Collins CG, Collins JH, Harrison BR, Nicholls RA, Hoffman ES, Krupp PJ (1971) Early repair of vesicovaginal fistula. Am J Obstet Gynecol 111:524–528
Symmonds RE (1984) Incontinence: vesical and urethral fistulas. Clin Obstet Gynecol 27:499–514
Lawson JB (1972) Vesical fistulae into the vaginal vault. Br J Urol 44:623–631
Davits RJ (1992) A reply to the letter to the editor by Sabnis RB in response to the article: Davits RJ, Miranda SI (1991) Conservative treatment of vesicovaginal fistulas by bladder drainage alone. Br J Urol (1991) 68:155–156, Br J Urol 70:339
Hilton P, Ward A (1998) Epidemiological and surgical aspects of urogenital fistulae: a review of 25 years’ experience in southeast Nigeria. Int Urogynecol J 9:189–194
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0265-9
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bazi, T. Spontaneous closure of vesicovaginal fistulas after bladder drainage alone: review of the evidence. Int Urogynecol J 18, 329–333 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0194-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0194-7