Curative Effect of Recombinant Human Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor on a Colocutaneous Fistula after Rectal Resection : Case Report

We report the result of trafermin treatment of a colocutaneous fistula refractory to non-surgical management. Trafermin, also known as recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor, is a topical therapeutic drug that stimulates angiogenesis and accelerates granulation. The case described here is that of a 67-year-old male patient who developed a colocutaneous fistula following surgery for a tumor of the lower rectum. Standard non-surgical techniques were ineffective in closing the fistula. Trafermin treatment resulted in a gradual reduction in exudate from the wound, and radiological examination 10 days after the introduction of trafermin showed the fistula had healed. Subsequent infection of the wound site was also successfully treated using trafermin. Injection of trafermin into a colocutaneous fistula tract thus shows promise in the management of fistulas refractory to non-surgical therapies.