Fistula
What is a Fistula?
The term fistula describes an abnormal connection between two parts of the body. For example, a fistula may occur between an organ and another body part.

There are several types of fistulas:
- Blind: A fistula that is only opened on one end, but is connected to two body structures.
- Complete: This type of fistula has an opening outside the body, as well as inside the body.
- Horseshoe: This type of fistula is between the anus and the surface of the skin, and it goes around the rectum.
- Incomplete: An incomplete fistula is a tube that begins at the skin but is closed on the inside, so it does not connect with any body structures internally.
There are various possible locations of a fistula on the body. Some common fistula locations include:
- Between arteries and veins
- From bile ducts to the skin’s surface, due to gallbladder surgery
- Between the neck and throat
- From the cervix or bowel to the vagina
- From the colon to the body’s surface
- In the area inside the skull and nasal sinus
- Between the stomach and the skin’s surface
- From the navel to the gut
- Between the uterus and the walls of the abdomen
It is also possible to have an anal fistula, which develops when the anus has an abnormal connection with another organ.
Another type of fistula, called a gastrointestinal fistula, is located in the digestive tract. This type of fistula may develop between one part of an intestine and another.
Applicable Procedures
Common Symptoms
- “I developed a fever accompanied by stomach pain.”
- “I started to have diarrhea all the time, and I was suffering from rectal bleeding.”
- “I felt dehydrated and started to lose weight, and my overall health just got worse.”