Urinary symptoms and quality of life in women following urogenital fistula repair: a long-term follow-up study.

Using the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptom questionnaire, we have investigated urinary and sexual symptoms and quality of life in a group of 31 women 50 months (median) after successful repair of urogenital fistula. All had undergone urodynamic investigation prior to their repair surgery, and only 36% had normal findings. Almost all women reported one or more symptoms, and for 65%, these caused at least 'a bit of a problem', although 87% said that their urinary symptoms had little or no impact on their quality of life. Symptoms were similar in urethrovaginal and vesicovaginal fistulae and were not significantly associated with prior functional abnormality.