Rectovaginal fistula following surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis: Does lesion size matter?

Yunxi Zheng, Ning Zhang, Weiqi Lu, Liang Zhang, Shouxin Gu, Ying Zhang, Xiaofang Yi, Keqin Hua
The Journal of international medical research · 2017 · vol. 46(2) , pp. 852–864 · doi:10.1177/0300060517728208 · PMID:29132241 · W2758011790
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 8 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

In a retrospective study of 104 deep infiltrating endometriosis patients, larger lesion size, specific locations, and surgical techniques were identified as risk factors for postoperative rectovaginal fistula.

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Abstract

Objective This study was performed to identify risk factors for postoperative rectovaginal fistula (PRF) in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). Methods Data were retrospectively obtained from the medical records of 104 patients with DIE, and statistical analysis was used to detect risk factors for PRF. Results Five of 104 (4.8%) patients developed PRF from 5 to 16 days postoperatively. The operative procedures included 84 (80.8%) superficial excisions, 6 (5.8%) full-thickness disc excisions, and 14 (13.5%) bowel resections. Most lesions were located in the cul-de-sac, and the mean lesion size was 2.6 cm (range, 0.5-7.0 cm). The univariate analysis showed that lesion location, larger lesion size, and surgical technique were statistically significant risk factors for PRF. Conclusion Surgical procedures should be very carefully executed in patients with DIE lesions of ≥4 cm.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosisdie_deep_infiltrating

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Gynecologic Surgical Procedures Laparoscopy Rectovaginal Fistula Adult Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Gynecologic Surgical Procedures Gynecologic Surgical Procedures Humans Laparoscopy Laparoscopy Middle Aged Rectovaginal Fistula Rectovaginal Fistula Rectovaginal Fistula Retrospective Studies Risk Factors

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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