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Contact Treatment Urinary Fistula
The treatment of urinary fistula is complex and will usually require surgical reconstruction.
Make sure that the surgeons involved are certified to do so, use the latest technologies and achieve the best quality of life for the patient.
- Super-specialized urologists
- Personalized treatment
- Minimally invasive approach
- More than 16,000 patients successfully treated
Treatments for urinary fistulas
Some fistulas may require only conservative therapy. However, most fistulas need surgical intervention to repair them.
Conservative therapy
Some simple fistulas may heal on their own. This may be possible when the fistula is small and the surrounding tissue is healthy. For example, when the tissue has not been damaged by radiation therapy or cancer.
To cure the fistula, the doctor may try to help the person's urinary tract work properly without urine passing through the fistula. Some patients may have to use a urinary catheter to drain the bladder. People with a ureterovaginal fistula may have a small catheter (tube that holds the ureter open) placed in the ureter. This catheter can help urine flow properly from the kidneys to the bladder while the fistula heals.
Surgery
Most fistulas require surgical repair. The type and location of the fistula will determine the type of surgery. Some surgeries are performed through the vagina and others through the abdomen. Some cases can be corrected with laparoscopic surgery, which uses small incisions, or robotic surgery, which allows very precise movements.
The goal of surgery is to repair the fistula so that healthy tissue can grow and close the opening of the fistula, restoring normal function to the affected organs. The surgeon will work to remove the damaged tissue and any other matter, such as a tumor, that may be affecting the fistula.
Before surgery, the doctor will work to make the tissue in the area of the fistula as healthy as possible. This may include medications or wound care to help the tissue heal.
If the fistula is large and involves the bowel or colon, your doctor may recommend a colostomy before surgery. This procedure will keep the fistula clear for surgery. Once the fistula area heals, the physician can usually remove the colostomy.
After surgery, most patients will have a catheter in their bladder for a few weeks. The catheter can be removed once the fistula area has healed.
They ask us in the Consultation
What happens if I have a urinary fistula and do not have surgery?
In case of urinary fistula, either with the vagina or the gastrointestinal tract, involuntary urine leakage or gas emission through the urethra may occur. If not operated, these symptoms do not disappear. Occasionally, fistulas may close spontaneously by placing a bladder catheter, but surgical intervention is usually required.
How long does it take for a urinary fistula to heal?
If the fistulas are not operated, the probability of spontaneous healing is low, although sometimes they can close with the placement of a bladder catheter. However, the time required is not short, requiring several weeks.
How can a urinary fistula be treated?
Treatment ranges from conservative maneuvers such as bladder catheterization to the need for surgery. The type of surgery depends on the origin and size of the fistula and may require a vaginal, abdominal or laparoscopic approach. In cases of fistulas from the urinary tract to the digestive tract, a colostomy may be required, i.e. a bag to collect the feces.
What is the relationship between urinary fistulas and radiotherapy?
In case of radiotherapy, fistulas usually have a more complex treatment. Radiotherapy is an effective treatment in multiple tumors and its complications are rare. However, on isolated occasions, especially in association with pelvic surgery, it increases the risk of development of fistulas from the urinary tract to the vagina or the gastrointestinal tract.
Team of the Urinary Fistula Unit
Newsof ROC Clinic in Urinary Fistula
Research
Da Vinci and Hugo RAS Platforms for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy: a preliminary prospective comparative analysis of the outcomes.
ROC Clinic belongs to the main national and international Urology and Andrology medical organizations.
