Surgical Management of Obstetric Fistulas in the Gynecology-Obstetrics Department of the University Hospital of Bouaké

Objective: Help improve surgical management of obstetric fistulas. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study with descriptive and analytical aims conducted over a period of 9 years. It involved 282 patients who were operated on in the gynaecology-obstetrics department of Bouaké University Hospital. Results: The average age of the patients was 27 years, with extremes of 12 and 49 years. The fistula patients were single (54.25%), had no schooling (75.2%), and were farmers (39.72%). They were in a couple (49.3%) before the fistula and divorced (25.2%) after the fistula. Causal delivery took place in a health centre (88.1%). The patients were multiparous (44.33%) and gave birth to stillbirths (88%). Labor lasted more than one day (61.3%). The average duration of fistula evolution was 07 years. In 86.88% of cases, the patients had vesicovaginal fistulas. The fistulas were most often single (95.4%), type I (65.3%), and small (55.1%). In 72.3% of cases, the patients were undergoing surgery for the first time. Fistulorrhaphy inspired by the Latzko technique was the most frequently performed procedure (96.0%), and the success rate was 90.9%. The outcome of the surgery was statistically linked to a healthy vagina and a small fistula. Conclusion: Surgical treatment gives excellent results, subject to certain factors. Emphasis must be placed on prevention through community awareness-raising.