Clinical research in the endoscopic management of digestive fistula / 中华消化内镜杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic value of endoscopic jejunal tube placement, endoscopic clipping, and over the scope clip ( OTSC) for digestive fistula. Methods Data of 38 patients with digestive fistulas at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University admitted from July 2015 to July 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Treatments were chosen according to the size and the site of the fistulas. Thirteen patients underwent jejunal tube placement ( the jejunal tube group ) , 20 underwent endoscopic clipping( the endoscopic clipping group) , and 5 underwent OTSC( the OTSC group) . The technical success rate, clinical cure rate and postoperative hospital stay were analyzed. Results All patients received the endoscopic operation successfully with no significant complications. In the jejunal tube group, 4 patients′fistulas fully healed, lesion was smaller after treatment in 3 patients, lesion didn′t change in 5 patients, and 1 patient died. The complete cure rate was 30. 8％ (4/13), and the postoperative hospital stay was 47. 4± 14. 1 days. For the endoscopic clipping group, 16 patients′ fistulas fully healed, lesion was no smaller compared with that before treatment in 3 cases, and 1 patient died. The complete cure rate was 80. 0％ ( 16/20) , and the postoperative hospital stay was 17. 9 ± 8. 9 days. Total patients in the OTSC group were completely cured, with 100. 0％( 5/5) of complete cure rate. One patient with refractory esophageal fistula underwent OTSC repeatedly with endoscopic clipping, and the healing time of fistula was 102 days. The postoperative hospital stay of 4 others was 5. 3±1. 7 days. The cure rate of fistula was higher (P=0. 03, P<0. 001) and the postoperative hospital stay was shorter ( P=0. 04, P<0. 001) in the OTSC group compared with the clipping group and the jejunal tube group. Conclusion Endoscopic management is safe and effective for digestive fistulas with less trauma, easy performance and short time of healing.