Successful transvaginal repair of a vesicouterine fistula with delayed presentation

Abstract

A G4P4 woman in her 30s with a type II vesicouterine fistula, as defined by the Jozwik classification system, presented with symptoms of menouria, vaginal menses and urinary incontinence 8 years after caesarean delivery, the time of probable origination of the fistula tract. Transvaginal ultrasound identified a fistula tract communicating between the bladder and uterus, a rare finding that many years remote from caesarean delivery. Traditional surgical technique includes laparoscopic, abdominal and endoscopic methods of repair, sometimes using a transvesical approach. Transvesical repair can be associated with subsequent inpatient hospital stays and prolonged catheterisation. Our technique proposes a transvaginal surgical approach as an outpatient procedure with decreased operating time (40 min), postoperative pain and catheterisation requirement. It is the authors’ belief that a transvaginal approach is less invasive and allows for better preservation of the uterus for future pregnancies and vaginal deliveries, as desired by the patient.