What symptoms do fistulas cause and how are they diagnosed?
Some fistulas, especially those that connect adjacent loops of bowel, may not cause significant symptoms. Other fistulas, however, can cause significant abdominal pain and external drainage, or create a bypass of a large segment of intestine. Such a bypass can occur when a fistula connects one part of the bowel to another part that is further down the intestinal tract. The fistula thereby creates a new route for the intestinal contents. This new route bypasses the segment of intestine between the fistula’s upper and lower connections to the intestine. Sometimes, fistulas can open and close sporadically and unevenly. Thus, for example, the outside of a fistula might heal before the inside of the fistula. Should this occur, the bowel contents can accumulate in the fistulous tract and result in a pocket of infection and pus (abscess). An abscess may be quite painful and can be dangerous, especially if the infection spreads to the bloodstream. Fistulas sometimes are difficult to detect. Al
