Rectovaginal fistula
922840
209473586
2008-05-01T15:31:26Z
65.111.130.226
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{{Infobox_Disease
| Name = {{PAGENAME}}
| Image =
| Caption =
| DiseasesDB = 32573
| ICD10 = {{ICD10|N|82|3|n|80}}
| ICD9 = {{ICD9|619.1}}
| ICDO =
| OMIM =
| MedlinePlus =
| eMedicineSubj = med
| eMedicineTopic = 2745
| MeshID = D012006
}}
A '''rectovaginal fistula''' is a medical condition where there is a [[fistula]] or abnormal connection between the [[rectum]] and the [[vagina]].
Rectovaginal fistula may be extremely debilitating. If the opening between the rectum and vagina is wide it will allow both [[flatulence]] and [[feces]] to escape through the vagina, leading to [[fecal incontinence]]. There is an association with recurrent urinary and vaginal infections.
==Causes==
Rectovaginal fistulae are often the result of trauma during childbirth (in which case it is known as [[obstetric fistula]]) in situations where there is inadequate health care, such as in some poor [[third world]] countries. Rates in [[Eritrea]] are estimated as high as 350 per 100,000 vaginal births. Fistulas can also develop in women and children who are raped; women with rectovaginal fistulae are often stigmatized in third world countries, and become outcasts.
Women in the West suffer similarly, mainly due to the fact that most people do not take the condition seriously. As such, discussing the disorder publicly is not something that many women feel they can do.
Rectovaginal fistulae can also be symptoms of various diseases, including infection by [[Lymphogranuloma venereum]], or the unintended result of surgery, such as [[episiotomy]] or [[sexual reassignment surgery]]. They may present as a complication of [[vaginal surgery]], including [[vaginal hysterectomy]]. They are a recognized presentation of rectal [[carcinoma]] or rarely [[diverticular disease]] of the bowel or [[Crohn's]] disease. They are seen rarely after [[radiotherapy]] treatment for [[cervical cancer]].
==Theories about pregnancy==
There has apparently been discussion in pop-medical circles at some time in the past of there being a possibility of semen travelling through a rectovaginal fistula during anal sex and potentially resulting in a pregnancy. While this is possible in theory—a rectovaginal fistula is, after all, a passageway between the two related cavities through which other (semi)liquids are known to pass—the obvious symptoms of the condition, including the severe, readily-apparent pain that may be associated with it, makes an unwitting instance of this phenomenon functionally impossible.
== See also ==
* [[fistula]]
* [[rectourethral fistula]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.pelviperineology.org/practical/rectovaginal_fistula_clinical_results_after_surgery.html Clinical and functional results after tailored surgery for rectovaginal fistula] Original article: Pelviperineology Vol.26 N.2 June 2007
* [http://www.fightfistula.org One By One] - a nonprofit organization working to eliminate obstetric fistula.
{{Diseases of the pelvis, genitals and breasts}}
[[Category:Gynecology]]