Surgical Treatment of Rectovaginal Fistulas and Complex Perineal Defects

I. INTRODUCTION The vaginal fistulas remain one of the most demanding problems to the pelvic reconstructive surgeon, as well as one of the most stringent tests of diagnostic acumen, patience, and above all, surgical skill. The uncontrolled presence of flatus and stool in the vagina and on the perineum is the dreadful manifestation of rectovaginal fistula. A rectovaginal fistula (RVF) may occur at any level within the vagina, but is most common in the lower third.