Objective:To investigate the cause， prevention and clinical strategy of rectovaginal fistula (RVF) which may improve its therapeutic effect． Methods:The clinical data of 39 patients with rectovaginal fistula were reviewed retrospectively from February 2002 to October 2007 in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine．The causes and the ways of treatment were analyzed． Results:Of all the 39 patients treated with operative corrections，37 patients were cured and achieves good results while 2 patients died due to the terminal stage of cancer．No recurrent fistula was identified with postoperative followup of 3 months to 5 years. Conclusion:Varieties of rectovaginal fistula can be reliably repaired with satisfactory therapeutic outcomes using different operative corrections，the choice of optimal procedures and timing of operation are important factors for successful surgery．Both the endorectal advancement flaps and patch of intestine provides an effective methods in repairing challenging recurrent rectovaginal fistula．Meticulous performance should be put emphasis in the surgical curative activities to decrease the incidence of iatrogenic rectovaginal fistula．