Fistula

Fistula

Fistulas necessitate quick medical intervention to avoid major infections or other complications. Medication, surgery, or a combination of the two may be used to treat the condition. Inflammation causes sores, or ulcers, to grow on the internal wall of the gut or surrounding organs, resulting in fistulas.

These ulcers can go all the way through the gut wall, producing a tunnel for pus to drain from the diseased area. A fistula can also arise as a result of an abscess, or a collection of pus.

Fistulas grow between two segments of the intestine, between the gut and another organ, such as the bladder or vagina, or through to the skin surface in Crohn's disease patients.