Intractable duodenocutaneous fistula after nephrectomy for stone pyonephrosis: report of a case

A 56-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for treatment of right stone pyonephrosis with a perirenal abscess. After right nephrectomy for the pyonephrosis, the patient suffered from post-operative bleeding, which was stopped by closing off the drain tube with a clamp. However, a right retroperitoneal abscess with gas formation developed nine days after the operation, necessitating an operative procedure for drainage. Pus culture revealed Staphylococcus epidermidis and Candida albicans. Discharge from the drain tube became dark green days after the drainage procedure. Upper gastrointestinal series revealed a duodenal fistula, which could not be closed using a retroperitoneal approach, so the operative wound was left open. Because of the volume of discharge (800-1,400 ml/day), somatostatin analogue, 100 micrograms, was injected subcutaneously twice a day. Discharge decreased by one-half within 2 weeks of the administration of somatostatin analogue. However, the duodenocutaneous fistula had not resolved over a period of 8 months. Since the patient developed acute cholecystitis, both cholecystectomy and closure of the duodenocutaneous fistula were performed transperitoneally. The duodenocutaneous fistula, which was closed with Endo GIA (35 mm), had protruded from a descending portion of the duodenum like the diverticulum. The postoperative course was uneventful. We speculated that the fistula occurred as a result of the inflammation with the abscess formation.