Vesicouterine fistulae: our experience of 17 cases and literature review

A retrospective study of vesicouterine fistulae managed from 1996 to 2011 analyzed the incidence, symptomatology, diagnosis, and surgical outcome. During the study period, 17 patients were managed, of whom 14 underwent abdominal repair and three underwent vaginal repair. Mean patient age was 31.1 years and mean follow-up 7.3 years. Vesicouterine fistulae resulted following cesarean section in 13 patients and vaginal delivery in four. Eleven patients presented with urinary leakage via the vagina and seven with menouria. All patients had successful outcomes irrespective of treatment approach. The uterus was conserved in ten patients, of whom seven had completed their childbearing. The remaining three conceived spontaneously and underwent elective cesarean section. The majority of vesicouterine fistulae occur following cesarean section, and it is feasible to achieve 100 % successful repair. Though the majority require abdominal repair, a few selected cases can be successfully repaired vaginally.