Treatment Principle Based on the Clinical Staging of Pharyngocutaneous Fistula

OBJECTIVE: Studies on factors affecting pharyngocutaneous fistulas (PCFs) and PCF repair methods have been widely reported. However, the healing phases of PCF are unclear, and their elucidation could guide clinical treatment. METHODS: Clinical stages of the PCF healing process were identified by a retrospective study of 39 patients with head and neck cancer who developed a PCF. RESULTS: Different conservative treatments were performed in turn according to three defined stages of the PCF healing process: stage I (drainage and debriding period), stage II (pressure dressing period), and stage III (healing period). A 7-day course of antibiotic therapy was only performed in stage I in 23 patients. The PCF was cured in 30 (76.9%) of 39 patients; the remaining 9 patients underwent subsequent surgical interventions for PCF healing. CONCLUSION: The three stages of PCF healing have a certain reference value in guiding clinical treatments. Moreover, antibiotics should be used in stage I when signs of infection are present, but they should not be used in all three phases of conservative treatment.