Rectovaginal Fistula due to an Erosive Pessary: A rare case reported in an 82-year-old female
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2021.1175Keywords:
Erosive pessaries, Rectovaginal Fistula.Abstract
Background: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a condition when organs in the pelvis fall from their normal position due to a weakening of the pelvic muscles and produce a bulge in the vagina. Pessaries have long been used to treat POP but may result in rectovaginal fistulas as a rare complication.The Case: We report a rare case of a rectovaginal fistula following the utilization of ring vaginal pessary in an 82-year-old G7P7007 female with a past medical history of bipolar disorder who presented initially for nursing care and psychiatric support. A trained psychologist evaluated the patient, and no psychological morbidity was identified, but a history of fall two days ago and diffuse abdominal pain was recognized. Chronic urinary incontinence was also reported. Gynecological pelvic examination revealed a rectovaginal fistula, and impacted stools were noticed in the vagina, which were manually removed. Conclusion: The use of ring pessaries, though a conservative management option for pelvic organ prolapse, may lead to a rectovaginal fistula, a rare but severe complication.
Metrics
References
Barber MD, Maher C. Epidemiology and outcome assessment of pelvic organ prolapse. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2013;24(11):1783-1790.
Jaiswal, Nygaard I, Barber MD, et al. Nygaard I, Barber MD, Burgio KL, et al. Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in US women. Bone. 2014;23(1):1-7.
Swift S, Woodman P, O’Boyle A, et al. Pelvic Organ Support Study (POSST): The distribution, clinical definition, and epidemiologic condition of pelvic organ support defects. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005;192(3):795-806.
Clemons JL, Aguilar VC, Tillinghast TA, Jackson ND, Myers DL. Patient satisfaction and changes in prolapse and urinary symptoms in women who were fitted successfully with a pessary for pelvic organ prolapse. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190(4):1025-1029.
Jones KA, Harmanli O. Pessary use in pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2010;3(1):3-9.
Chatwani A, Dempsey D, Nyirjesy P, Terry Grody MH. Rectovaginal Fistula A Rare Complication of a Neglected Pessary. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 1999;5(4). https://journals.lww.com/fpmrs/Fulltext/1999/07000/Rectovaginal_Fistula_A_Rare_Complication_of_a.11.aspx
Ozuner G, Elagili F, Aytac E. Rectovaginal fistula secondary to an erosive pessary. Tech Coloproctol. 2015;19(8):491-492.
Tarr M, Culbertson S, Lengyel E. Transverse Transperineal Repair of a Pessary-induced Mid-rectovaginal Fistula. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2008;14(3). https://journals.lww.com/fpmrs/Fulltext/2008/06000/Transverse_Transperineal_Repair_of_a.8.aspx
Amshel CE, Tripician NR, Marchetti F, Hellinger MD, Sands LR. Pessary-Induced Rectovaginal Fistula: A Case Report and Literature Review. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2005;11(4). https://journals.lww.com/jpelvicsurgery/Fulltext/2005/07000/Pessary_Induced_Rectovaginal_Fistula__A_Case.7.aspx
Powers K, Grigorescu B, Lazarou G, Greston WM, Weber T. Neglected pessary causing a rectovaginal fistula: a case report. J Reprod Med. 2008;53(3):235-237.
Torbey MJ. Large rectovaginal fistula due to a cube pessary despite routine follow-up; but what is “routine”? J ObstetGynaecol Res. 2014;40(11):2162-2165.
Cichowski S, Rogers RG. Nonsurgical management of a rectovaginal fistula caused by a Gellhorn pessary. Obstet Gynecol. 2013;122(2 Pt 2):446-449.
Hanavadi S, Durham-Hall A, Oke T, Aston N. Forgotten vaginal pessary eroding into rectum. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2004;86(6):W18-9.
Reisenauer C, Huebner M. Recto-vaginal fistula after pessary therapy. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2017;295(5):1289-1290.
Asumpinwong C, Leerasiri P, Hengrasmee P. Neglected doughnut pessary in the uterine cavity. BMJ Case Rep. 2019;12(4).
Sivasuriya M. Cervical entrapment of a polythene vaginal ring pessary--a clinical curiosity. Aust N Z J ObstetGynaecol. 1987;27(2):168-169. doi:10.1111/j.1479-828x.1987.tb00975.x
Roberge RJ, Keller C, Garfinkel M. Vaginal pessary-induced mechanical bowel obstruction. J Emerg Med. 2001;20(4):367-370.
Vierhout ME. The use of pessaries in vaginal prolapse. Eur J ObstetGynecolReprod Biol. 2004;117(1):4-9.
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2022-01-06 (3)
- 2021-12-16 (2)
- 2021-12-16 (1)
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Waleed Inayat Mohamed, Dorea Emmanuel, Shahzaib Maqbool, Ali Asad, Asad Jawad, Arham Ihtesham
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site; with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from the Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Enforcement of copyright
The IJMS takes the protection of copyright very seriously.
If the IJMS discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, the IJMS may bring legal proceedings against you seeking reparation and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.
If you become aware of any use of the IJMS' copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org
Infringing material
If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org