Fistula
A fistula is an abnormal connection between two body parts, such as an organ or blood vessel and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of an injury or surgery. Infection or inflammation can also cause a fistula to form.
Inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease, can lead to fistulas between one loop of intestine and another. Injury can cause fistulas to form between arteries and veins.
Types of fistulas include:
Blind (open on one end only, but connects to two structures)
Complete (has openings both outside and inside the body)
Horseshoe (connects the anus to the surface of the skin after going around the rectum)
Incomplete (a tube from the skin that is closed on the inside and does not connect to any internal structure)
A fistula is an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another organ, vessel or intestine, or the skin. Fistulas can be thought of as tubes connecting internal tubular structures, such as arteries, veins, or intestine, to one another or to the skin.
An anal fistula is a small tunnel that connects an abscess, an infected cavity in the anus, to an opening on the skin around the anus. The anus is the external opening through which feces are expelled from the body. Just inside the anus are a number of small glands that make mucus. Occasionally, these glands get clogged and can become infected, leading to an abscess. About half of these abscesses may develop into a fistula.