Two-Stage Treatment of Enterocutaneous Fistulas

Aim: to determine the most efficient treatment of enterocutaneous fistulas.

Materials and methods. Eighty-eight patients with intestinal fistulas underwent a two-stage treatment, including: the first stage — multicomponent therapy, the second stage — reconstructive surgery. Enterocutaneous fistulas were diagnosed in 61 patients, enteroatmospheric fistulas — in 26 patients, and combined fistula (enterocutaneous and enteroatmospheric) — in 1 patient.

Results. All 88 patients underwent reconstructive surgery after the multicomponent therapy. Resection of the intestine with a fistula with the formation of an entero-entero anastomosis was performed in 72 (81.8 %) patients; marginal resection of the intestine with a fistula, followed by suturing of the defect — in 7 (8.0 %); resection of the intestine with fistulas in combination with excision and suturing of the fistula — in 5 (5.7 %); an operation aimed at disabling the fistula from the passage of intestinal contents — in 3 (3.4 %); resection of the intestine with a fistula in combination with fistula exclusion — in 1 (1.1 %) patient. Postoperative complications in the group of patients with enteroatmospheric fistulas occurred in 13 cases, in the group with enterocutaneous fistulas — in 25 patients. Three (3.4 %) patients with enterocutaneous fistulas died from complications unrelated to the underlying disease and surgical interventions.

Conclusion. Two-stage treatment including multicomponent therapy (nutritional support, infection generalization control, local wound treatment) and reconstructive surgery allowed to reduce mortality rates to 3.4 %, which proves the effectiveness of this method.

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