Treatment Strategies in Crohn's-Associated Rectovaginal Fistula

Navigating the complexities of perianal Crohn's disease: Diagnostic strategies, treatment approaches, and future perspectives

This article discusses the literature review article by Pacheco et al published in July 2024; the authors provided good reviews of perianal Crohn's disease (CD), and challenges faced by clinicians in the management. CD, characterized by its chronic and relapsing nature, is an idiopathic condition that can involve any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Perianal disease impacts up to 40% of patients with CD, with perianal fistulas constituting up to 80% of perianal lesions. Perianal CD can be highly incapacitating and profoundly diminish the overall well-being of patients. The management focuses on controlling the perianal sepsis and treating luminal CD. Biologics are crucial to the treatment approach, and results have been encouraging. The surgery focuses on controlling the sepsis, with more definitive treatments being fistula surgery, fecal diversion, and proctectomy as the last resort. This manuscript briefly describes the burden of CD, the challenges posed by perianal CD, and the role of different treatment modalities from colorectal surgeon's perspective.

A Gender Perspective on Coloproctological Diseases: A Narrative Review on Female Disorders

Coloproctological diseases, including both benign and malignant conditions, are among the most common diagnoses in clinical practice. Several disorders affect both men and women, while others are unique to women, or women are at a greater risk of developing them. This is due to anatomical, biological, and social conditions and also due to females' exclusive capabilities of reproduction and pregnancy. In this context, the same proctological disease could differ between men and women, who can experience different perceptions of health and sickness. There is a raised awareness about the impact of different diseases in women and a growing need for a personalized approach to women's health. In this review, we aim to summarize the specific features of the main coloproctological diseases, specifically in the female population. This includes common complaints during pregnancy, conditions linked to vaginal delivery, functional consequences after colorectal resections, and conditions presenting a gender disposition.

[Therapeutic challenges in difficult-to-treat, penetrating Crohn's disease - a multidisciplinary approach]

A rectovaginalis fistula a penetráló Crohn-betegség ritka szövődménye, jelenléte esetén a gyógyszeres kezelés és a sebészeti beavatkozás együttes alkalmazása javasolt. Habár perianalis sipollyal szövődött Crohn-betegség esetén a TNFα-blokkolók hatékonyak lehetnek, rectovaginalis fistula esetén kisebb hatékonyság mutatkozik, feltehetően anatómiai okok, valamint a gyulladás talaján megváltozott szövetekbe történő csökkent penetrációs készség miatt. Az újabb biologikumok és kis molekulájú szerek hatékonyságáról és biztonságosságáról penetráló Crohn-betegségben kevés adat áll rendelkezésünkre. Esetünk egy fiatal penetráló Crohn-beteg nőről szól, aki közepesen súlyos/súlyos betegségaktivitás és kiújuló rectovaginalis fistula miatt több vonalbeli biológiai kezelésben részesült. Ultimum refugiumként deviáló ileostoma képzése történt, illetve upadacitinib indult ötödik terápiás vonalként. 12 hetes indukciót követően a rectovaginalis sipoly teljes bezáródását, valamint a vastagbél teljes szakaszán komplett nyálkahártya-gyógyulást tapasztaltunk. Az ileostoma zárását aktivitásfokozódás vagy fistulakiújulás nem követte. A szelektív JAK1-gátló upadacitinib hatékonynak mutatkozott stomaképzést követően, nehezen kezelhető, közepesen súlyos-súlyos luminalis aktivitást mutató, recidív rectovaginalis fistulával szövődött Crohn-betegségben. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(32): 1252–1257.

What are the outcomes in patients referred to a tertiary referral centre for Crohn's rectovaginal fistula surgery?

AIM

Rectovaginal fistulas in patients with Crohn's disease are challenging to manage, and surgical treatment remains the best option for achieving permanent closure of the fistula. Biologicals are now used routinely for patients with Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical procedures used by us to treat rectovaginal fistula in patients with Crohn's disease in the era of biologicals.

METHOD

Patients with Crohn's disease who underwent surgery for a rectovaginal fistula between 2010 and 2020 were included in this retrospective study and were identified from a prospectively maintained institutional database. Collected variables included demographics, perioperative and operative variables and data regarding medications used. Success of the procedure was defined as no symptoms at least 6 months after definitive repair and/or stoma closure.

RESULTS

Twenty patients (out of 80 referred for evaluation) underwent surgery with intent to close the fistula and had at least 6 months of follow-up. Mean age was 44 ± 12 years with a median follow-up duration of 33 months (range 6-130 months). Forty per cent of the patients had a history of at least two surgeries to close the fistula. The overall healing rate was 70% (14/20). The most performed procedure was a transanal rectal advancement flap (7/20), with a success rate of 85%.

CONCLUSION

Rectovaginal fistula in Crohn's disease is difficult to cure; according to our results almost half of these patients have multiple surgeries due to recurrence. Multiple procedures may be offered for this challenging problem in motivated patients. Perioperative diversion should be strongly considered.

Surgical Intervention is Effective for the Treatment of Crohn's related Rectovaginal Fistulas: Experience From A Tertiary Inflammatory Bowel Disease Practice

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Rectovaginal fistula occurs in up to 10-20% of women with Crohn's disease, significantly affecting their quality of life. We sought to determine outcomes of single and repeat operative interventions.

METHODS

A retrospective review of all adult patients with a Crohn's related rectovaginal fistula who underwent an operation between 1995 to 2021 was performed. Data collected included patient demographics, Crohn's related medical treatment, surgical intervention, postoperative outcomes, and fistula outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 166 patients underwent 360 operations; mean age was 42.8 (+/-13.2) years. Thirty-four (20.7%) patients were current and 58 (35.4%) former smokers. The most commonly performed procedure was a local approach (n=160, 44.5%) using fibrin glue, fistulotomy/fistulectomy or seton placement, followed by a transvaginal/transanal approach (n=113, 31.4%) with an advancement flap repair (including Martius advancement flap) and episoproctotomy, a transabdominal approach (n=98, 27.2%) including proctectomy or redo anastomosis and finally gracilis muscle interposition (n=8, 2.2%). The median number of operative interventions per patient was 2 (1.0-3.0) procedures. The overall fistula healing rate per patient was 71.7% (n=119) at a median follow-up of 5.5 (1.2-9.8) years. Factors that impaired healing included former smoking (OR 0.52 95%, CI 0.31 - 0.87, p=0.014) and seton insertion (OR 0.42 95%, CI 0.21-0.83, p=0.012).

CONCLUSION

Over two-thirds of Crohn's related rectovaginal fistulas can achieve closure with multiple surgical interventions. Smoking and seton usage negatively impact healing rates and should be avoided.

Rectovaginal Fistula in Crohn's Disease: When and How to Operate?

Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) occurring during the course of Crohn's disease (CD) constitutes a therapeutic challenge and is characterized by a high rate of recurrence. To optimize the outcome of CD-related RVF repair, the best conditions for correct healing should be obtained. Remission of CD should be achieved with no active proctitis, the perianal CD activity should be minimized, and local septic complications should be controlled. The objective of surgical repair is to close the fistula tract with minimal recurrence and functional disturbance. Several therapeutic strategies exist and the approach should be tailored to the anatomy of the RVF and the quality of the local supporting tissues. Herein, we review the medical and surgical management of CD-related RVF.

Healing of rectal advancement flaps for anal fistulas in patients with and without Crohn's disease: a retrospective cohort analysis

Background

Surgical closure of anal fistulas with rectal advancement flaps is an established standard method, but it has a high degree of healing failure in some cases. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for anal fistula healing failure after advancement flap placement between patients with cryptoglandular fistulas and patients with Crohn’s disease (CD).

Methods

From January 2010 to October 2020, 155 rectal advancement flaps (CD patients = 55, non-CD patients = 100) were performed. Patients were entered into a prospective database, and healing rates were retrospectively analysed.

Results

The median follow-up period was 189 days (95% CI: 109–269). The overall complication rate was 5.8%. The total healing rate for all rectal advancement flaps was 56%. CD patients were younger (33 vs. 43 years, p < 0.001), more often female (76% vs. 30%, p < 0.001), were administered more immunosuppressant medication (65% vs. 5%, p < 0.001), and had more rectovaginal fistulas (29% vs. 8%, p = 0.001) and more protective stomas (49% vs. 2%, p < 0.001) than patients without CD. However, no difference in healing rate was noted between patients with or without CD (47% vs. 60%, p = 0.088).

Conclusions

Patients with anal fistulas with and without Crohn’s disease exhibit the same healing rate. Although patients with CD display different patient-specific characteristics, no independent factors for the occurrence of anal fistula healing failure could be determined.

Trial registration Not applicable due to the retrospective study design.

Stapled transperineal repair for low- and mid-level rectovaginal fistulas: A 5-year experience and comparison with sutured repair

BACKGROUND

Currently, rectovaginal fistula (RVF) continues to be a surgical challenge worldwide, with a relatively low healing rate. Unclosed intermittent suture and poor suture materials may be the main reasons for this.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of stapled transperineal repair in treating RVF.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Coloproctology Department of The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China). Adult patients presenting with RVF who were surgically managed by perineal repair between May 2015 and May 2020 were included. Among the 82 total patients, 37 underwent repair with direct suturing and 45 underwent repair with stapling. Patient demographic data, Wexner faecal incontinence score, and operative data were analyzed. Recurrence rate and associated risk factors were assessed.

RESULTS

The direct suture and stapled repair groups showed similar clinical characteristics for aetiology, surgical history, fistula features, and perioperative Wexner score. The stapled repair group did not show superior results over the suture repair group in regard to operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay. However, the stapled repair group showed better postoperative Wexner score (1.04 ± 1.89 vs 2.73 ± 3.75, P = 0.021), less intercourse pain (1/45 vs 17/37, P = 0.045), and lower recurrence rate (6/45 vs 17/37, P = 0.001). There was no protective effect from previous repair history, smaller diameter of fistula (< 0.5 cm), better control of defecation (Wexner < 10), or stapled repair. Direct suture repair and preoperative high Wexner score (> 10) were risk factors for fistula recurrence. Furthermore, stapled repair gave better efficacy in treating complex RVFs (i.e., multiple transperineal repair history, mid-level fistula position, and poor control of defecation).

CONCLUSION

Stapled transperineal repair is advantageous for management of RVF, providing a high primary healing rate and low recurrence rate.

Allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells in the treatment of rectovaginal fistulas in Crohn's disease

AIM

Crohn's disease (CD)-related rectovaginal fistulas (RVFs) are rare, challenging to treat and associated with a high morbidity. Due to a significant lack of data, we aimed to analyse the safety and feasibility of allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in the treatment of CD-related RVF.

METHOD

Four consecutive patients with CD-related RVF underwent treatment with expanded allogeneic ASCs extracted from a healthy donor in a tertiary referral centre in 2019. None of the patients had an intestinal diversion at the time of the treatment. Follow-up was performed 6 months postoperatively.

RESULTS

The median operation time was 45 min with a median hospital stay of 3 days. No intra-operative complications occurred. Three patients (75%) developed recurrent RVF after a median follow-up of 19 days. Two patients required surgical treatment including loose seton drainage due to discharge and pain. One patient developed recurrence of symptoms after 10 days, but refused further surgical therapy. Only one patient (25%) showed healing of the RVF, with re-epithelialization of both the vaginal and rectal opening and absence of clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Expanded allogeneic ASC therapy represents a novel safe treatment option for CD-associated RVF. Although efficacy appears limited, further controlled studies are required to draw robust conclusions.

Endorectal Advancement Flap With Muscular Plication in Anovaginal and Anterior Perineal Fistulas

Purpose

Endorectal mucosal advancement flap with muscular plication can ensure complete closure of anovaginal fistulas and preserve continence. The aim of this retrospective study was to show indications might be broadened to include anoperineal fistulas.

Methods

This retrospective study gathered all available data from patients with anovaginal or anterior perineal fistulas who underwent transanal advancement flap repair with muscular plication. A loose seton was passed in the fistula track prior to surgery in all patients. Fistula healing was defined as fistula closure during proctological examination associated with complete resolution of symptoms.

Results

Thirty-five patients were included from January 2011 to March 2017. Causes of fistula were various, mostly post-operative (34.3%, n = 12), obstetrical (17.1%, n = 6) and inflammatory (14.3%, n = 5). Success rate was 65.2%. Fistula healing was obtained in 60.0% of patients with Crohn disease in remission. Closure rate was higher in anterior perineal fistulas (89.0%) than in anovaginal fistulas (63.6%) even if it did not reach statistical significance. Slight fecal continence disorders were noted in 2 women (5.7%).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the efficacy of transanal advancement flap repair with muscular plication for anovaginal and anterior perineal fistulas. Similar closure rates and smaller postoperative incontinence rates compared to the classical technique make this surgery an optimal solution whose efficacy appears to be sustainable over time.

Recto-vaginal fistulas: A case series

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Falandry and Martius’ techniques were used firstly for vesico-vaginal fistulas with satisfying long-term functional results.

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The same techniques are feasible and safe for rectovaginal fistula repair.

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In this case series, patients had an improvement of their self-image and health-related quality of life.

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Temporary colostomy is recommended before this reconstructive surgery.

Introduction

Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is defined as an abnormal communication between the anterior wall of the rectum and the posterior wall of the vagina. Many surgical techniques have been described in the treatment of RVF. However, none has proved its superiority. The aim of the study was to evaluate the functional results of surgical treatment of RVF using Martius and Falandry techniques in order to assess the feasibility and the efficacy of these techniques which were first described for vesico-vaginal fistulas.

Methods

The study was a retrospective case series conducted in a single centre: Department of general surgery at Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat. We included patients with rectovaginal fistula consecutively recruited from 2011 to 2014. 10 patients developed RVF after surgery for rectal cancer (9 cases), uterine cancer (1 case). One patient had RVF for ano-rectal malformation. Colostomy was performed before the treatment of fistula in 9 cases (82 %). They underwent surgical treatment using Falandry (8 patients) and Martius techniques (3 patients) performed by an experienced urologist surgeon.

Results

No postoperative complications were recorded. Time to discharge was postoperative day 3–4. There was a complete disappearance of RVF in 8 patients (72.7 % of cases), relapse in 2 cases (18 %), and failure in one case (9%). The average follow-up was 12.6 +/-10 months. Functionally, no long-term cases of fecal incontinence or dyspareunia were noted.

Conclusion

The choice of surgical technique in the treatment of RVF remains difficult because of poor literature data and absence of consensus. RVF repair results either by Martius or Falandry techniques are encouraging with low morbidity.