Fistula

A fistula (plural: fistulae or fistulas) 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.

Terminology

The formation of a fistula may be referred to as fistulation or fistulisation, both terms are equally valid ².

Pathology

Etiology

A wide variety of etiologies are implicated:

• congenital

• acquired

  • iatrogenic

    • surgical

      • sometimes the fistula creation is deliberate, e.g. mucous fistula, arteriovenous fistula for dialysis

    • radiotherapy

  • 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, please keep these lists in alphabetical order:

• GIT

  • cholecystocolic fistula

  • cholecystoduodenal fistula

  • choledochocolic fistula

  • choledochoduodenal fistula

  • coloduodenal fistula

  • coloenteric fistula

  • colovaginal fistula

  • colovesical fistula

  • enterocutaneous fistula

  • enteroenteric fistula

  • fistula-in-ano (perianal fistula)

  • gastrocolic fistula

  • gastrointestinal fistula

  • gastropericardial fistula

  • gastropleural fistula

  • mucous fistula

  • esophagopleural fistula

  • pancreaticopleural fistula

  • rectovaginal fistula

  • renocolic fistula

  • renoenteric fistula

• vascular

  • aortocaval fistula

  • aortoduodenal fistula

  • aortoenteric fistula

  • arteriovenous fistula

  • caroticocavernous fistula

  • cerebral arteriovenous fistula

• breast

  • milk fistula

• urogenital

  • ureterocolic fistula

  • ureteroduodenal fistula

  • ureteroenteric fistula

  • ureterovaginal fistula

  • vesicovaginal fistula

  • urethroscrotal

• pulmonary

  • broncho-esophageal fistula

  • bronchopleural fistula

  • tracheoesophageal fistula

    • congenital tracheo-esophageal fistula

    • acquired tracheo-esophageal fistula

  • pleurobiliary fistula

• cardiac

  • coronary cameral fistula

  • atrio-esophageal fistula

  • from aortic root

    • aortic root to right ventricle fistula

    • aortic root to right atrial fistula

    • aortic root to left atrial fistula

• head and neck

  • oroantral fistula

  • perilymphatic fistula

History and etymology

From the Latin, fistula means tube or pipe ¹.