HEAL Africa score to predict failure of surgical repair of obstetric urethro-vaginal fistula in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Justin Paluku LussySusan Andrea BartelsJonathan Ml KaserekaBarthelemy Kasi AksantiEugénie Mukekulu KamabuOlivier MukukuZacharie Kibendelwa TsongoStanis Okitotsho WembonyamaCharles Wembonyama MpoyJeannot Sihalikyolo JuakaliPublished in: BMC women's health (2024)
We report a FSROUVF rate in the DRC approaching a quarter of operative patients. Predictors of failure included fibrosis, presence of 2 or more fistulas, total urethral involvement, fistula size greater than 3 cm, postoperative infection, and use of intravaginal indigenous products. These factors are constitutive of the HEAL Africa score, which once validated, may have value in pre-operative counselling of patients. This study could be valuable for policy and strategies to address the problem of OUVF in the DRC and in resource limited settings more generally.