Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37363522›Full record

ArticleAnnals of medicine and surgery (2012)2023

Accurate anatomic repair of obstetric anal sphincter damage or rectovaginal fistula aided by prior ultrasonograghy: a cohort study.

Taole Mokoena, Zeelha Abdool

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 34% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Taole MokoenaDepartment of Surgery.ORCID 0000-0002-3306-5500
Zeelha AbdoolDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria.
Steve Biko Hospital · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Anorectal obstetric injuries resulting in anal sphincter damage (ASD) and rectovaginal fistula (RVF) remain a major problem. The resulting flatus or faecal incontinence is devastating. Surgical repair remains a challenge. Postpartum RVF primarily results from ischaemic pressure necrosis following obstructed labour. The fistula tract is surrounded by a fibrous scar. ASD usually results from precipitous labour. The injury heals by fibrous scar leading to varying degrees of anal incontinence. Contraction and retraction of muscles around the injury renders the defect and fibrous scar larger than the primary injury. Anorectal ultrasonography has been used to define RVF and ASD, and the associated fibrous scar. Patients and methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent transvaginal surgical repair of RVF and ASD was undertaken. Patients were preoperatively assessed for pathology and incontinence degree. Anorectal ultrasonography was used to define ASD or RVF and the associated scar preoperatively. Repair of RVF or ASD entails total excision of the scar with accurate anatomical layers reconstruction of healthy tissues. Results: There were 23 patients, 8 RVF with a mean (SD) age 29 (6.78) years and 17 ASD with a mean (SD) age 35.25 (15.90). Twenty followed obstetric trauma (6RVF, 14 ASD), 1 prior rectocoele repair (ASD), 2 rape (1RVF + 1 ASD) and 1 was idiopathic (RVF). All patients had 1 or more prior repairs except for idiopathic RVF. Operative technique entailed transvaginal complete excision of the fibrous scar and accurate anatomical reconstruction of healthy tissue layers. A colostomy was not routinely used. There were three significant postoperative complications: ASD breakdown from an infected haematoma; perianal abscess, later a sinus after drainage; and RVF repair dehiscence during early coitus. All patients had full continence after 8 months minimum follow-up. Conclusion: Complete excision of the fibrous scar and accurate anatomical tissue layers reconstruction of the obstetric RVF or ASD, aided by prior ultrasonography, yielded good results.

Indexed as

anal sphincteranorectal ultrasonographycase serieslayered anatomical repairobstetric injuryrectovaginal fistula

Identifiers

PMID37363522
PMCPMC10289563
OpenAlexW4366981196

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.