Enterocutaneous fistulas in Enugu, Nigeria

Forty-four patients with enterocutaneous fistulas treated at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu in five years (1977-81) are reviewed. Most fistulas resulted from complications of surgery (29 per cent) and appendicitis (55 per cent). The commonest locations were in the cecum (48 per cent), ileum (30 per cent), and colon (20 per cent). The outstanding complication was sepsis. Spontaneous closure occurred in 15 patients (34 per cent). Twenty-two patients were treated surgically. There was a high mortality of 18 per cent from septic complications and malnutrition.