Fecal Fistula Following Appendectomy as an Unusual Late Complication:

Introduction

Acute appendicitis is the most commonly encountered cause of acute abdomen in general surgery and appendectomy is one of the most frequently performed procedures in clinical practice.¹ Complications of appendectomy include surgical-site infection, postoperative ileus, stump appendicitis, intra-abdominal abscess formation, leaks from the remnant stump, fistula formation, small bowel obstruction, and localized or diffused peritonitis.² In the case of appendix perforation or gangrene with peri-appendicitis, the frequency of septic complications is as high as 30%.³

Post-appendectomy fecal fistula is a rare complication, but it is associated with significant morbidity.⁴ Fecal fistula is distressing for both the surgeon and the patient. In some references, it has been given the first position among the…