Ann Gynecol Obstetr Res | Volume 6, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access
Fehintola AO1*, Ayegbusi EO1, Ajiboye AD1, Babalola EO1, Adetoye AO2, Abdur-Raheem ZF1,
Ubom AE1 and Adeyemi AB1
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria 2Department of Anesthesiology, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
*Correspondance to: Fehintola AO
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: Management of Genital tract Fistula (GF) goes beyond just an attempt at closing a "hole"; it involves restoration of damaged lives. We assessed the impacts of successful anatomical closure of female genital tract fistula on the quality of life, the urological, and sexual function of the patients. Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study of 115 patients with fistula repair that took place at the fistula unit between March 2018 and February 2021. The researchers followed up the patients for an average of 18 months (range 9-30 months). Data on quality of life were collected on admission and a year after repair using a questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF. Other validated questionnaires used include Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 [IIQ-7] and Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 [UDI-6]. We used Student's t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test statistical analysis. Results: The mean age in this study was 28.7 years ± 7.5. Only 16.5% developed GF between ages 15 and 20 years. Seventy four percent of the respondents developed GF following Prolong Obstructed labor while the remaining were iatrogenic. The successful anatomical closure rate was 91.6%. Median IIQ-7 and UDI-6 scores reduced significantly (P ≤ 0.01) from 25.5 and 16.5 preoperatively to 2.7 and 3.0 post-closure respectively. Conclusion: Female Genital tract Fistula (GF) is a major reproductive health problem in our setting. We noticed significant improvements in urinary symptoms and distress, general well-being, and quality of life following successful repair.
Functional outcomes; Psycho-social Impact; Successful repair; Genital tract fistula
Fehintola AO, Ayegbusi EO, Ajiboye AD, Babalola EO, Adetoye AO, Abdur-Raheem ZF, et al. Successful Anatomical Closure of Female Genital Fistula and Its Psycho-functional Impacts among Survivors in a Resource-poor Setting. Ann Gynecol Obstetr Res. 2023;6(1):1026..