What exactly is Fistula?

Fistla, why & how it happens.How it can be avoided & what are the remadies.

a fistula is an abnormal passage between two internal organs or from an internal organ to the body surface.
Depending on where it is there are a number of different remedies and ways to avoid

ENTER "DICTIONARY" ON THE SEARCH LINE AND THEN CLICK ON MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY. AND ENTER "FISTULA" OR CLICK ON A MEDICAL DICTIONARY AND READ ALL ABOUT IT. AS FOR REMEDIES IT WOULD DEPEND WHERE IT IS LOCATED ON THE BODY. A 24 HOUR NURSE LINE MIGHT HELP SO GIVE THEM A CALL. EVEN A REGISTERED PHARMACIST MIGHT HELP ETC.

In medicine, a fistula (pl. fistulas or fistulae) is an abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.
A fistula is a very serious and painful disorder that most commonly occurs in people of third world countries. Fistulas can develop in various parts of the body, including the following: (list is sorted by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health ProblemsTypes of fistulas
Various types of fistulas include:

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:

Diseases: Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and 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, as evidenced by the abnormally high number of women in conflict areas who have suffered fistulae.[citation needed]

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). Treatments involving filling the fistula with fibrin glue or 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.

A fistula is an abnormal passage from an internal organ to the body surface or between two organs. fistulas may be congenital(present from birth) or may be aquired as a result of tissue damage. Congenital types include: tracheoesophageal fistulas and thyroglossal fistulas. Aquired fistulas may result from injury, infection or cancer.Some types of arteriovenous fistula (between an artery and a vein) are constructed artificially to provide ready access to the blood circulation which may be necessary in dialysis patients. Fistulas of the urinary tract, which open from the uretha or bladder to the perineum (the area between the anus and the genitals) usually occur as a complication of radiation therapy to the pelvis or damage or damage caused by a difficult childbirth. Such fistulas betwwen the intestine and the skin may occur in people with CHRON'S DISEASE and may occur as complications of abdominal surgery. The intestinal contents may escape through an opening or through a surgical wound. Some types of fistulia close spontaneously, but most need to be cut and surgically repaired.