Gastrointestinal FistulaSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Gastrointestinal Fistula
A gastrointestinal fistula is an abnormal opening in the stomach or intestines that allows the contents to leak to another part of the body.
- Leaks that go through to a part of the intestines are called entero-enteral fistulas.
- Leaks that go through to the skin are called enterocutaneous fistulas.
- Other organs can be involved, such as the bladder, vagina, anus, and colon.
Entero-enteral fistula; Enterocutaneous fistula; Fistula - gastrointestinal; Crohn disease - fistula
Most gastrointestinal fistulas occur after surgery. Other causes include:
- Blockage in the intestine
- Infection (such as diverticulitis)
- Crohn disease
- Radiation to the abdomen (most often given as part of cancer treatment)
- Injury, such as deep wounds from stabbing or gunshot
- Swallowing caustic substances (such as lye)
Depending on where the leak is, these fistulas may cause diarrhea, and poor absorption of nutrients. Your body may not have as much water and fluids as it needs.
- Some fistulas may not cause symptoms.
- Other fistulas cause intestinal contents to leak through an opening in the skin.
Treatments may include:
- Antibiotics
- Immune suppressing medicines if the fistula is a result of Crohn disease
- Surgery to remove the fistula and part of the intestines if the fistula is not healing
- Nutrition through a vein while the fistula heals (in some cases)
Some fistulas close on their own after a few weeks to months.
Virginia Mason Medical Center
Shayan Irani, MD, specializes in pancreaticobiliary diseases, gastrointestinal oncology, Barrett's Esophagus, gastrointestinal stenting, endoscopic mucosal resection, submucosal dissection, radio frequency ablation and other advanced therapeutic and emerging techniques.Dr. Irani enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, the outdoors, traveling and Scuba diving. Dr. Irani is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Gastrointestinal Fistula. He is also highly rated in 45 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Cholecystitis, Gastrointestinal Fistula, Hereditary Pancreatitis, Endoscopy, and Gastric Bypass. Dr. Irani is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine, Subspecialty In Gastroenterology. Dr. Irani is currently accepting new patients.
Brigham And Women's Crohn's And Colitis Center
Dr. Christopher C. Thompson is the Director of Endoscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship Program Director and clinical faculty at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Thompson’s clinical interests include endoscopic surgery applied to foregut conditions, with a focus on endoscopic treatment of obesity, GERD, Zenker’s diverticula, achalasia, gastroparesis, postsurgical complications, and pancreatobiliary disease. He spends the majority of his time performing these advanced endoscopic procedures and also cares for these patients in the ambulatory setting. The remainder of his time is devoted to research in endoscopic surgery, with a focus on device development, clinical outcomes, and endoscopic education. His research has resulted in numerous patents, development of new endoscopic procedures, and over 300 publications. He was awarded the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization Clinical Innovation Award in 2007 for developing and performing the first endoscopic suturing procedure to treat obesity. He also invented anastomosis technology, which has been shown to treat type 2 diabetes effectively in early clinical trials. He was responsible for much of the early work in Bariatric Endoscopy, having been called the founding father of the field, and edited the first textbook and video atlas on the subject. Some of his other important clinical innovations include the development of new endoscopic techniques for treating pancreatic necrosis, gastric outlet obstruction, sleeve gastrectomy stenosis, pancreaticojejunal anastomotic strictures, and postsurgical complications. He also developed an endoscopic part-task simulator used by many fellowship programs (the TEST box).These accomplishments have led to a broad clinical referral base, and to national and international invitations for lectureships and live case demonstrations, including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Blackwell Lectureship, ACG American Journal of Gastroenterology Lecture, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Presidential Plenary Lecture, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) J Edward Berk Presidential Plenary Lecture, ACG Edgar Achkar Visiting Professorship, all post-graduate education courses for the major US gastroenterology and surgical societies, and numerous respected courses throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. He has also mentored more than 20 fellows, many of whom have gone on to thrive in prestigious academic institutions, and he established the first Fellowship in Bariatric Endoscopy. Dr. Thompson is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Gastrointestinal Fistula. He is also highly rated in 38 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Obesity, Esophageal Varices, Gastrointestinal Fistula, Endoscopy, and Gastric Bypass.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Stefan Holubar is a Colorectal Surgeon practicing medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Holubar is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Gastrointestinal Fistula. He is also highly rated in 23 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Crohn's Disease, Viral Gastroenteritis, Hemorrhagic Proctocolitis, Colostomy, and Hemorrhoidectomy. Dr. Holubar is board certified in American Board Of Colon And Rectal Surgery, 2011.
The outlook depends on the person's overall health and how bad the fistula is. People who are otherwise healthy have a very good chance of recovery.
Fistulas may result in malnutrition and dehydration, depending on their location in the intestine. They may also cause skin problems and infection.
Contact your health care provider if you have:
- Very bad diarrhea or other major change in bowel habits
- Leakage of fluid from an opening on the abdomen or near the anus, particularly if you have recently had abdominal surgery
Summary: Patients presenting to the outpatient clinic at Kasr Al-Ainy Hospitals with high anal fistula will be assessed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study purpose will be explained, and informed consent will be obtained from eligible participants. A detailed medical history and routine preoperative assessment will be conducted. Clinical evaluation will include identification of th...
Summary: This post market surveillance study is a single arm multicenter study to demonstrate the long-term durability and effectiveness of the BioHealx Anal Fistula Device for fistula-in-ano closure (internal and external fistula openings).
Published Date: June 11, 2024
Published By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Aria - Jefferson Health Torresdale, Jefferson Digestive Diseases Network, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
De Prisco G, Celinski S, Spak CW. Abdominal abscesses and gastrointestinal fistulas. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 29.
Nussbaum MS, McFadden DW. Gastric, duodenal, and small intestinal fistulas. In: Yeo CJ, ed. Shackleford's Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 76.