School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

The surgical management of rectovaginal fistulas remains difficult, as they tend to be recurrent and vary widely in location and complexity. We present a case of a 63-year-old woman with a low-lying rectovaginal fistula who initially underwent chemoradiation and a Low Anterior Resection for a low-lying rectal cancer. Her course was uneventful until two years post-operatively, at which time her anastomotic staple line became stenotic with associated bleeding. This was initially addressed by Gastroenterology who executed a dilation and achieved hemostasis with Argon Plasma Coagulation. This remedied the stenosis, however, it was complicated by the formation of a rectovaginal fistula. Due to the low-lying location and its presence in an irradiated field, a transvaginal approach with an interposed gracilis flap was elected for repair.