Infected urachal cyst secondary to a Crohn's enterourachal fistula

Lindsay L Hollander1, Eric D Girard, Kimberly A Ruscher

  • 1Division of Pediatric Surgery, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT 06106, USA.

Insights

Enterourachal fistulas are rare in Crohn's disease patients. Medical treatment successfully closed a fistula, avoiding surgery for a midline abdominal mass.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology and Urology
  • Surgical Case Report

Background:

  • Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory condition.
  • Enterourachal fistulas are rare complications.

Observation:

  • A case of a presumed enterourachal fistula in a Crohn's patient is presented.
  • The fistula led to an infected urachal cyst, presenting as a midline abdominal mass.

Findings:

  • Preoperative medical management effectively obliterated the enterourachal fistula.
  • This non-surgical approach successfully treated the condition, avoiding bowel resection.

Implications:

  • Suggests considering enterourachal fistula in Crohn's patients with midline abdominal masses.
  • Highlights the potential for medical therapy to manage such rare fistulas in CD.
  • Emphasizes conservative management to avoid surgical morbidity in complex cases.

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