Small Bowel Fistulas

"Most small bowel fistulas (75% to 80%) occur as a postoperative complication, usually following surgery for abdominal malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease, or lysis of adhesions. The most common surgical causes of fistula formation include anastomotic leak after bowel resection and injury of the bowel (or of its vascular supply)."[8]

"Complications of abdominal surgery are the cause of small intestinal fistulas in 70% to 90% of cases. These causes include disruption of the anastomotic suture line, inadvertent enterotomy, or inadvertent small bowel injury at the time of abdominal closure. Roughly half are thought to be due to anastomotic failure, and half are due to inadvertent enterotomy. Thus, half of small bowel fistulas occur after operations in which there has been no resection or anastomosis."[9]

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