Fistula

A fistula (plural: fistulae) is an abnormal connection between two epithelial surfaces such as between hollow organs, skin or vessels. Conventionally, the name of a specific fistula type is a combination of the two organs

For discussions of specific fistulae please refer to individual articles.

Pathology

Etiology

A wide variety of etiologies are implicated:

• congenital
• acquired
  • iatrogenic
    • surgical
      • sometimes the fistula creation is deliberate, e.g. mucous fistula
    • radiation therapy
  • post inflammatory e.g. Crohn disease, pancreatitis, diverticulitis
  • infection
  • post-traumatic
  • secondary to a foreign body
  • malignancy

Types

Various types of fistula have been described:

• GIT
  • fistula-in-ano
  • perianal fistula
  • coloenteric fistula
  • colovesical fistula
  • mucous fistula
  • colovaginal fistula
  • cholecystoduodenal fistula
  • enterocutaneous fistula
  • enteroenteric fistula
  • pancreaticopleural fistula
  • gastrointestinal fistula
• vascular
  • arteriovenous fistula
  • aortoenteric fistula
  • aortoduodenal fistula
  • cerebral arteriovenous fistula
• breast
  • milk fistula
• urogenital
  • vesicovaginal fistula
  • ureterocolic
• pulmonary
  • broncho-esophageal fistula
  • bronchopleural fistula
  • congenital tracheoesophageal fistula

History and etymology

From the Latin, fistula means tube or pipe ¹.