PUNE: Kavita (name changed on request), a 30-year-old dentist from Mumbai, had been living in near-constant pain for many years because of an embarrassing medical condition —
rectovaginal fistula. Multiple surgeries could not provide any relief. Finally, a treatment procedure developed by Dr Ashwin Porwal, a Pune-based colo-rectal surgeon and the founder-director of
Healing Hands Clinic, cured her.
Kavita’s agony started in 2010. “I was just 22 and was studying dentistry in Mumbai. The pain never left me for the next seven years,” she said.
She complained of bleeding from the
rectum, pus discharge, pain during defecation and faeces coming out of the vaginal opening. She underwent four different surgeries for fissures and fistula over a span of six years in Mumbai but got no relief. As intermittent pus discharge and discomfort continued, she was eventually diagnosed with complex rectovaginal fistula.
A rectovaginal fistula is a fistula or an abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina. Bowel contents can often leak through the fistula, allowing gas or stool to pass through the vagina. A simple fistula may turn into a complex one when the initial attempt at repair fails. “Accurate diagnoses, identifying side tracts and micro-abscesses in the first surgery are extremely crucial to fix fistula and prevent them from recurring and turning complex. Treating the fistula without damaging the
sphincter muscles is the key to a successful surgery,” said Porwal.
The condition was taking a toll on her life. “My appetite had decreased. I avoided social gatherings and lived constantly under stress,” she said. In her desperate attempt to find a solution, she came across Porwal’s work in proctology and visited the Mumbai branch of Healing Hands Clinic.
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“I first examined Kavita in August 2017. She had multiple fistula tracts with hidden abscesses. Her anal sphincter tone was lax due to multiple previous surgeries and as a result, she had mild incontinence,” Porwal said.
For correct diagnosis, Porwal performed a 3D Endo Anal imaging with a specialised probe for fistula.The procedures were carried out on August 19, 2017.
Complex fistulas also have a high incidence of recurrence. “However, it has been more than a year and there has been no recurrence. I am living without pain,” Kavita said.