Table 2 Clinical features correlating with failure of surgical repair in women with obstetric vesico-vaginal fistula in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (N = 318)

Fistula age at repair

  < 1 year

10

20.41%

39

79.59%

49

1.42 [0.63–3.17]

0.5217

 1–5 years

16

18.60%

70

81.40%

86

1.26 [0.64–2.49]

0.6125

  > 5 years

28

15.30%

155

84.70%

183

1.00

Previous repair attempt

 No

25

14.79%

144

85.21%

169

1.00

  ≥ 1

29

19.46%

120

80.54%

149

1.39 [0.77–2.50]

0.3385

Number of vesico-vaginal fistula in the same participant

 1

12

6.19%

182

93.81%

194

1.00

  ≥ 2

42

33.87%

82

66.13%

124

7.77 [3.89–15.53]

 < 0.0001

Association of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula with other types of fistula

 No

30

13.10%

199

86.90%

229

1.00

 Yes

24

26.97%

65

73.03%

89

2.45 [1.34–4.49]

0.0052

Condition of the urethra

 Intact

46

15.65%

248

84.35%

294

1.00

 Partial damage

4

22.22%

14

77.78%

18

1.54 [0.35–5.19]

0.5047

 Total damage

4

66.67%

2

33.33%

6

10.65 [1.92–60.60]

0.0080

Presence of scarring fibrosis

 No

12

7.02%

159

92.98%

171

1.00

 Yes

42

28.57%

105

71.43%

147

5.30 [2.67–10.54]

 < 0.0001

Post-operative complications

 No

24

8.73%

251

91.27%

275

1.00

 Perioperative Hemorrhage

11

50.00%

11

50.00%

22

10.46 [4.11–26.63]

 < 0.0001

 Post-operative infection

19

90.48%

2

9.52%

21

96.02 [21.24–899.15]

 < 0.0001

Size of fistula

  < 1.5 cm

2

4.44%

43

95.56%

45

1.00

 1.5–3 cm

7

5.83%

113

94.17%

120

1.33 [0.24–13.61]

1.0000

  > 3 cm

45

29.41%

108

70.59%

153

8.96 [2.15–78.95]

0.0011