Objective: The main outcome of this study was the evaluation of clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and therapeutic approaches in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) aged from childhood to perimenopause. Secondly, it was intended to compare these characteristics according to the menarchal status.
Methods: Patients less than 45 years of age with a diagnosis of VLS from January 2002 to June 2022 in 10 referral centers were included in this retrospective longitudinal study.
Background: Vulvodynia is a chronic pain condition without an identifiable cause. As such, it is a diagnosis of exclusion, and all other causes of vulvar pain should be excluded. Although a standard treatment for vulvodynia has not been established yet, multidisciplinary care programs appear to be effective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Owing to the evidence that as many as 30-40% of patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) fail to report a remission of symptoms with first-line corticosteroid treatment (TCS), especially as what regards dyspareunia, we aimed to analyze patients' satisfaction following vulvar injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP). This is intended as an adjunctive treatment, to be used following TCS, and appears to promote tissue repair. It may also possibly have immunomodulatory proprieties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Women experience more frequent and greater pain than men, although they receive less adequate treatment and are perceived as more anxious than males. Recent clinical research has lead to hypothesize a common etiology for overlapping chronic pain conditions and mood disorders, namely, central sensitization, which originates from an alteration of pain processing pathways in the central nervous system.
Objective: The aim of this review was to collect all available evidence regarding the potential role of central sensitization in vulvodynia and endometriosis.
Background/aim: Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN) is a rare human papillomavirus (HPV)- related premalignant condition. VaIN lesions are diagnosed histologically through colposcopy-guided biopsies of suspicious areas, conduced by gynecologists with expertise in lower genital tract diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of colposcopy in the diagnosis of VaIN of any grade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt has been suggested that central sensitization (CS) may be involved in the failure of standard medical and surgical treatment to relieve endometriosis-related pain. However, there is no gold standard for the diagnosis of CS, and self-reported questionnaires are used as diagnostic surrogates. The main objective of this review was to identify all CS questionnaires used in clinical endometriosis studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeep dyspareunia is one of the main symptoms of endometriosis. It appears to be submerged by a two-way disconnection between patients and their physicians. The aim of our review is to provide clear, ready-to-use advice on how to manage deep dyspareunia overcoming the gap in communication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Low Genit Tract Dis
October 2023
Objective: The rationale for the use of autologous fat grafting in the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) consists in reduction of inflammation, regeneration of tissues, volume increase, and pain fiber control. The main outcome of this study was the evaluation of patients' satisfaction after treatment. Secondary outcomes included modifications in symptoms, psychosexual wellbeing, vulvar hydration, and histology after surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Although data regarding the rates of remission and progression of the disease are still scarce, it is generally now acknowledged that pediatric vulvar lichen sclerosus (pVLS) can persist beyond puberty. Recent studies reveal that this condition may persist in as many as 75% of cases. The present study aims to answer the following query: how does pVLS evolve after menarche?
Methods: This observational retrospective study conducted on premenarchal girls diagnosed with pVLS in our institution between 1990 and 2011 describes 31 patients who returned for multidisciplinary clinical evaluation following menarche.