Hong T, Koh D, Gray A. Gastrocolonic fistula: a rare complication of upper gastrointestinal surgery.
J Surg Case Rep 2021;
2021:rjab181. [PMID:
34017589 PMCID:
PMC8121443 DOI:
10.1093/jscr/rjab181]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A gastrocolonic fistula is a rare surgical presentation, typically in the setting of gastric or colonic malignancy. This report presents the first reported Australian case of a gastrocolonic fistula following upper gastrointestinal surgery.
A middle-aged woman presented to emergency with a short history of severe abdominal pain, faeculent vomiting, profuse diarrhoea and weight loss. This was in the setting of a previous pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy complicated by marginal ulceration, for which a distal gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction was required.
The rarity of gastrocolonic fistulae and non-specific presentation with diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss can make the diagnosis challenging. The mainstay of management is surgical resection in both benign and malignant disease.
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