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THE TREATMENT OF FISTULAS FOLLOWING IRRADIATION DAMAGE
Author(s) -
Cuthbertson A. M.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1980.tb06647.x
Subject(s) - medicine , connective tissue , surgery , colostomy , irradiation , pathology , physics , nuclear physics
Fistulas following irradiation treatment of uterine cancer present special problems. They are seldom isolated injuries. Because of the depressed response of connective tissue, direct repair can seldom be carried out. For rectovaginal fistulas a defunctioning colostomy is the usual first stage, and this may in time result in spontaneous closure. Repair can only be achieved by carefully planned operations where non‐irradiated tissue is used to close the defect.