Objectives: To evaluate the essentials for successful management of entero-cutaneous fistulas and their.
Methods: We analyzed. The therapeutic results of 1 168 cases treated in a single center from January. 1971 to December. 2000.
Results: In these patients, the cure rate of fistulas was 93% and 37.1% after non-operative treatment. Most cases died of sepsis (60/65 cases, 93.2%) with a total mortality of 5.5%. In 659 cases who had undergone operation for enteric fistula, 647 (98.2%) recovered. The cure rate, mortality rate and successful rate of operation (94.2%, 4.4%, 99.7%) in the period of January. 1985 - December. 2000 were better than those (90.4%, 8.2%, 95, 5%) in the early period of January 1971 December 1984 (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The change of therapeutic strategy, improved technique in control of sepsis, rational nutritional support and careful monitoring of vital organs are essential to the management of enteric fistulas. How to increase the spontaneous closure of fistula, the therapeutic rate of specific enteric fistula (e.g. IBD, radiation enteritis) and the operative rate of enteric fistula in the early period requires further study.