Renocolonic fistula complicated by a renal stone: report of two cases

A renocolonic fistula, complicated by a renal stone, was diagnosed in two women, 53 and 63 years old. The first patient had had a previous history of surgery when she underwent exploratory laparotomy for a right perinephric abscess, but the attempt to remove the right kidney was abandoned due to complications and a drainage tube was left. Six years after the first admission, an increased purulent discharge brought her in for further evaluation, fistulography then disclosed the presence of a renocolonic fistula. The second patient had a staghorn stone in the non-functioning left kidney. Retrograde pyelography revealed a fistulous tract between the renal collecting system and the colon. Subsequently, both patients underwent surgery in one stage to remove the infected kidney and the involved colon. The postoperative course was uneventful in each case, and they have since led comfortable lives without any febrile episodes. These two cases are the 17th and 18th cases of renocolonic fistulas reported in the Japanese literature