Cleveland Clinic for fistula repair

Hi JHENDRIX - I saw Dr. Shen back in early '11 for fistulas.  He did doxycycline injections in my fistula in the hope it would scar and close.  Didn't work - it was actually experimental, which it seems is not uncommon for him.  He only assured me there was no harm in the procedure; I was desperate for help, so went for it. He had me do a scope and injection every couple of months, which added up $-wise, although I'd have to do some digging to come up with a $ amount.  In the end, he referred me to a surgeon there, who simply did EUAs and put in setons. (I eventually had the pouch removed (in Oct. '18) and the fistulas seem to have been totally taken care of.)

I've heard that he does "needle knife" procedures for fistulas, but I don't know how often it has worked, or if this is what he may do with yours.  Possibly a search in here will give you more information.  In your consultation, I'd be sure to ask him to describe in detail the procedure, whether it's "experimental" at this point, how often he's done it, and how often it was successful (and not successful). 

Good luck.