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fistula

 
American Heritage Dictionary:

fis·tu·la

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(fĭs'chə-lə) pronunciation
n., pl., -las, or -lae (-lē').
An abnormal duct or passage resulting from injury, disease, or a congenital disorder that connects an abscess, cavity, or hollow organ to the body surface or to another hollow organ.

[Middle English, from Latin.]


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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction:

fistula

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In ancient Roman construction, a water pipe of lead or earthenware.

Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine:

fistula

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An abnormal connection between a hollow organ and the exterior, or between two hollow organs.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

fistula

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fistula (fĭs'chʊlə), abnormal, usually ulcerous channellike formation between two internal organs or between an internal organ and the skin. It may follow a surgical procedure with improper healing, or it may be caused by injury, abscess, or infection with penetration deep enough to reach another organ or the skin. When open at only one end it is called an incomplete fistula or sinus. The most common sites of fistula are the rectum and the urinary organs, but almost any part of the body may be affected. Rectal fistulas are often associated with colitis, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and other disorders. Usually a fistula requires surgery. In horses an abscess on the withers from chafing and infection is termed a fistula.

Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

fistula

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Pl. fistulae, fistulas; any abnormal, tubelike passage within body tissue, usually between two internal organs, or leading from an internal organ to the body surface. Some fistulae are created surgically, for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes; others occur as a result of injury or as congenital abnormalities. See also arteriovenous fistula.

  • blind f. — one open at one end only, opening on the skin (external blind fistula) or on an internal surface (internal blind fistula).
  • branchial f. — a persisting branchial cleft.
  • complete f. — one extending from the skin to an internal body cavity.
  • craniosinus f. — one between the cerebral space and one of the sinuses, permitting escape of cerebrospinal fluid into the nose.
  • crop f. — the crop communicates with the skin on the neck of the bird.
  • enterocutaneous f. — one in which there is communication between the intestinal tract and the skin. Some fistulae are created surgically, with gastrostomy, esophagostomy or colostomy. Others may result from surgical trauma, breakdown of an intestinal anastomosis, or erosions around a surgical drain or tube.
  • esophageal f. — communication between the esophagus and some portion of the respiratory tract, e.g. trachea, bronchi or pulmonary tissue. May be congenital or acquired as a result of trauma or inflammatory lesions, particularly esophageal foreign bodies.
    Esophageal fistula. By permission from Knottenbelt DC, Pascoe RR, Diseases and Disorders of the Horse, Saunders, 2003
  • fecal f. — a colonic fistula opening on the external surface of the body and discharging feces.
  • foreign body f. — remnant of a foreign body impalation or a grass seed are the common causes. Fistula drains continuously.
  • gastric f. — an abnormal passage communicating with the stomach; often applied to an artificially created opening, through the abdominal wall, into the stomach.
  • horseshoe f. — a semicircular fistulous tract about the anus, with both openings on the skin.
  • incomplete f. — blind fistula.
  • lateral cervical f. — see branchial cyst.
  • oroantral f. — between the oral cavity and a sinus. In dogs, usually involves the maxillary sinus and is caused by periodontal disease of the fourth premolars and first molars.
  • oronasal f. — between the nasal and oral cavities. Occurs most commonly in dogs with advanced periodontal disease of the maxillary canine tooth, but can result from disease of canines and premolars. It may also occur after tooth extraction, particularly in dogs, leading to the passage of food into the nasal cavity and a secondary chronic rhinitis and nasal discharge.
  • ruminal f. — created surgically in left upper flank. May occur accidentally due to persistence of trocar puncture for treatment of bloat.
  • salivary f. — usually discharges saliva on to the side of the face but may discharge into the mouth. Usually due to laceration of the duct by trauma.
  • umbilical f. — an abnormal passage communicating with the gut or the urachus at the umbilicus.
  • urachal f. — persistence of the urachal canal with communication between the urinary bladder and umbilicus. See also persistent urachus.
Mosby's Dental Dictionary:

fistula

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(fis′tyōōlə)
n

An abnormal tract connecting two body surfaces or organs or leading from a pathologic or natural internal cavity to the surface. The tract may be lined with epithelium.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'fistula'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to fistula, see:
  • Diagnostic Terminology - fistula: abnormal passage that leads from abscess or cavity to skin or to another abscess or cavity, caused by disease or injury

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Fistula

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Fistula
Classification and external resources
MeSH D005402

In medicine, a fistula (pl. fistulas or fistulae) is an abnormal[1] connection or passageway between two epithelium-lined organs or vessels that normally do not connect. It is generally a disease condition, but a fistula may be surgically created for therapeutic reasons.

Contents

Locations

Fistulas can develop in various parts of the body. The following list is sorted by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

H: Diseases of the eye, adnexa, ear, and mastoid process

I: Diseases of the circulatory system

J: Diseases of the respiratory system

K: Diseases of the digestive system

Duodeno Biliary Fistula

M: Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue

  • (M25.1) Fistula of joint

N: Diseases of the urogenital system

Note: in non-medical contexts, the word "fistula" is often used to imply urogenital fistulae.

Q: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities

T: External causes

  • (T14.5) Traumatic arteriovenous fistula
  • (T81.8) Persistent postoperative fistula

Types

Various types of fistulas include:

Types
Name Definition
Blind with only one open end
Complete with both external and internal openings
Incomplete a fistula with an external skin opening, which does not connect to any internal organ

Although most fistulas are in forms of a tube, some can also have multiple branches.

Causes

Various causes of fistula are:

Causes
Category Elaboration
Diseases Inflammatory bowel disease in the form of Crohn's disease, but not ulcerative colitis, are the leading causes of anorectal, enteroenteral, and enterocutaneous fistulas. A person with severe stage-3 hidradenitis suppurativa will also develop fistulas.
Medical treatment Complications from gallbladder surgery can lead to biliary fistula. Radiation therapy can lead to vesicovaginal fistula. An arteriovenous fistula can be deliberately created, as described below in therapeutic use.
Trauma Head trauma can lead to perilymph fistulas, whereas trauma to other parts of the body can cause arteriovenous fistulas. Obstructed labor can lead to vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas. An obstetric fistula develops when blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder (and/or rectum) is cut off during prolonged obstructed labor. The tissues die and a hole forms through which urine and/or feces pass uncontrollably. Vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas may also be caused by rape, in particular gang rape, and rape with foreign objects, as evidenced by the abnormally high number of women in conflict areas who have suffered fistulae.[2][3] In 2003, thousands of women in eastern Congo presented themselves for treatment of traumatic fistula caused by systematic, violent gang rape that occurred during the country's five years of war. So many cases have been reported that the destruction of the vagina is considered a war injury and recorded by doctors as a crime of combat.[4]

Treatment

Treatment for fistulae varies depending on the cause and extent of the fistula, but often involves surgical intervention combined with antibiotic therapy.

Typically the first step in treating a fistula is an examination by a doctor to determine the extent and "path" that the fistula takes through the tissue.

In some cases the fistula is temporarily covered, for example a fistula caused by cleft palate is often treated with a palatal obturator to delay the need for surgery to a more appropriate age.

Surgery is often required to assure adequate drainage of the fistula (so that pus may escape without forming an abscess). Various surgical procedures are commonly used, most commonly fistulotomy, placement of a seton (a cord that is passed through the path of the fistula to keep it open for draining), or an endorectal flap procedure (where healthy tissue is pulled over the internal side of the fistula to keep feces or other material from reinfecting the channel). Treatment involves filling the fistula with fibrin glue; also plugging it with plugs made of porcine small intestine submucosa have also been explored in recent years, with variable success. Surgery for anorectal fistulae is not without side effects, including recurrence, reinfection, and incontinence.

It is important to note that surgical treatment of a fistula without diagnosis or management of the underlying condition, if any, is not recommended. For example, surgical treatment of fistulae in Crohn's disease can be effective, but if the Crohn's disease itself is not treated, the rate of recurrence of fistula is very high (well above 50%).

Therapeutic use

In end stage renal failure patients, a cimino fistula is often deliberately created in the arm by means of a short day surgery in order to permit easier withdrawal of blood for hemodialysis.

As a radical treatment for portal hypertension, surgical creation of a portacaval fistula produces an anastomosis between the hepatic portal vein and the inferior vena cava across the omental foramen (of Winslow). This spares the portal venous system from high pressure which can cause esophageal varices, caput medusae, and hemorrhoids.

See also

Obstetric fistula

References

  1. ^ "fistula" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. ^ Stephanie Nolen, "Not Women Anymore…" Ms. Magazine, Spring 2005
  3. ^ UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund. Press Release, 22 June 2006. "More Funding Needed to Help Victims of Sexual Violence"
  4. ^ Emily Wax, Washington Post Foreign Service. Saturday, October 25, 2003; Page A01 "A Brutal Legacy of Congo War"

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Translations:

Fistula

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - rør, fistel

Nederlands (Dutch)
fistel, buis in insecten, spuit van walvis, buisvormige zweer, abnormale doorgang in het lichaam

Français (French)
n. - fistule

Deutsch (German)
n. - Fistel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (παθολ.) συρίγγιο

Italiano (Italian)
fistola

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fístula (f) (Patol.)

Русский (Russian)
фистула, свищ

Español (Spanish)
n. - fístula

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fistelgång (med.), rör

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
管, 瘘管

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 管, 瘺管

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (병리) 누관, (상처 때문에 생긴) 구멍

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 瘻, 管状器官

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ناسور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮בקע בגוף, בתר, פצע, פיסטולה‬

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Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
 Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Fistula.  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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