| |
fistula
(fis´tu-lә)
pl. fistulas, fis´tulae
any abnormal tubelike passage in the body. A fistula may occur between two internal organs or lead from an internal organ
to the body surface. Some fistulas are created surgically for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes (see arteriovenous fistula). Others occur as a result of injury or as congenital abnormalities.
Various types of fistulae, designated according to site or to the organs with which they communicate. (A), Genitourinary fistulae; (B), anal fistulae.
fistula in ano
anal fistula.

Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
Click here for important legal information about Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
|