Advantages of Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Treatment of Colovesical Fistula.

BACKGROUND: Colovesical fistulas in two-thirds of the cases are due to diverticular disease. In recent years, a minimally invasive approach has shown advantages over the traditional open approach. The goal of this study was to evaluate the surgical results and safety of the laparoscopic procedure in patients with colovesical fistula. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 24 patients who underwent surgery for colovesical fistula in a referral center from 2005 to 2011. Patients were divided into two groups: (i) laparoscopic approach, and (ii) open approach. RESULTS: The laparoscopic and open groups had similar characteristics with respect to age and gender distribution. There were a higher number of bladder repairs in the open approach group (83.3 vs. 16.6%; p = 0.01). The operative time (212 ± 74 min vs. 243 ± 69 min; p = 0.313) and intraoperative bleeding (268 ± 222 ml vs. 327 ± 169 ml; p = 0.465) were similar in both groups. The conversion rate of the laparoscopic approach to open surgery was 25%. There was no difference in morbidity (41.1 vs. 25%; p = 0.414), although the laparoscopic group had a shorter hospital stay (9 ± 4 days vs. 15 ± 11 days; p = 0.083) without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of colovesical fistula by a laparoscopic approach is safe and is associated with less bladder repairs and a shorter hospital stay.

Ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract: what is the evidence in a review?

Broadly, complex fistulas are those that are not low transsphincteric or intersphincteric. The objectives of surgical management are to achieve fistula healing, prevent recurrences and maintain continence. The risk of incontinence associated with treatment ranges from 10% to 57%. The objective of this manuscript is to review the current literature to date on the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract procedure (LIFT procedure) as a treatment option in these types of fistula. A search was conducted in Medline, PUBMED, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge, and studies published from January 2009 to May 2013 were included. The primary outcomes were fistula healing rates, mean healing time and patient satisfaction with this surgical technique. Eighteen studies were included in this review. The total number of patients included was 592 (65% male). The median age reported was 42.8 years. The most common type of fistula included was transsphincteric (73.3% of cases). The mean healing rate reported was 74.6%. The risk factors for failure discovered were obesity, smoking, multiple previous surgeries and the length of the fistula tract. The mean healing time was 5.5 wk, and the mean follow-up period was 42.3 wk. The patient satisfaction rates ranged from 72% to 100%. No de novo incontinence developed secondary to the LIFT procedure. There is not enough evidence that variants in the surgical technique achieve better outcomes (Bio-LIFT, LIFT-Plug, LIFT-Plus). This review indicates that the LIFT procedure is primarily effective for transsphincteric fistulas with an overall fistula closure of 74.6% and has a low impact on fecal continence. This procedure produces better outcomes at the first surgical attempt.