eMedicine Specialties > Urology > Fistulas

Renoalimentary Fistula: Follow-up

Author: Martha K Terris, MD, FACS, Professor, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Georgia
Coauthor(s): Matthew A Collins, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Urology, Medical College of Georgia; Sagar R Shah, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Urologic Surgery, Medical College of Georgia Health System
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Apr 23, 2009

Outcome and Prognosis

The prognosis depends on the etiology of the fistula. For benign processes, the prognosis is generally good provided sepsis is absent or limited and the entity is recognized quickly.

Malignancy that is sufficiently advanced to cause a renoalimentary fistula carries a poor prognosis. This is not due to the fistula itself, but because of the tumor.

Future and Controversies

Renoalimentary fistula will likely remain an occasional sequela of percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement, but management is relatively straightforward. With percutaneous radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation becoming a more popular and viable treatment option, patients should be aware that renoalimentary fistula is a potential complication of them. The use of hydrodissection during radiofrequency ablation with normal saline and vigilance of surrounding structures during these procedures should help keep the development of fistulae to a minimum.

In many cases, renoalimentary fistulae are secondary to neglected treatment of chronic disease. Continued efforts at early diagnosis and treatment of underlying problems should decrease the incidence of renoalimentary fistulae and improve the prognosis.

 


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References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

renoalimentary fistula, pyelocolonic fistula, pyeloduodenal fistula, pyelogastric fistula, pyelojejunal fistula, pyeloalimentary fistula, pyeloenteric fistula, pyelointestinal fistula, nephrocolonic fistula, nephroduodenal fistula, nephrojejunal fistula, nephrogastric fistula, nephroalimentary fistula, nephroenteric fistula, nephrointestinal fistula, renocolic fistula, renoduodenal fistula, renojejunal fistula, renogastric fistula, renoenteric fistula, renointestinal fistula, enterorenal fistula, colorenal fistula , duodeno-renal fistula, appendiculorenal sinus, pelvi-cholecystic fistula, iatrogenic renoalimentary fistula

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Martha K Terris, MD, FACS, Professor, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Georgia
Martha K Terris, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Cancer Society, American College of Surgeons, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, American Urological Association, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society of University Urologists
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Matthew A Collins, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Urology, Medical College of Georgia
Matthew A Collins, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Medical Student Association/Foundation, American Urological Association, and Southern Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sagar R Shah, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Urologic Surgery, Medical College of Georgia Health System
Sagar R Shah, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, American Medical Association, American Urological Association, and Endourological Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Peter Langenstroer, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, Medical College of Wisconsin
Peter Langenstroer, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Urological Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Shlomo Raz, MD, Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine
Shlomo Raz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Urological Association, and California Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

J Stuart Wolf Jr, MD, FACS, David A Bloom Professor of Urology, Director of Division of Minimally Invasive Urology, Department of Urology, University of Michigan
J Stuart Wolf Jr, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, American Urological Association, Catholic Medical Association, Endourological Society, Society for Urology and Engineering, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, Society of University Urologists, and Society of Urologic Oncology
Disclosure: Terumo Corporation Consulting fee Consulting; Omeros Corporation Consulting fee Consulting

Chief Editor

Edward David Kim, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, University of Tennessee Medical Center
Edward David Kim, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, American Society of Andrology, American Urological Association, and Tennessee Medical Association
Disclosure: Lilly Consulting fee Consulting; Astellas Consulting fee Speaking and teaching; Indevus Consulting fee Speaking and teaching

 
 
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