Bartholin abscess masquerading as an unusual vaginal prolapse: a case report.

Background: Vaginal wall cysts and pelvic organ prolapse, although commonly encountered, rarely occur together. Typically, the differential diagnosis of vaginal wall prolapse includes anterior and/or posterior wall support defects. Although large vaginal cysts have the potential to disturb normal vaginal supports, these coexisting abnormalities are rarely reported.

Case: A 39-year-old multipara woman presented with a progressively enlarging vaginal bulge for 6 years, erroneously diagnosed as an enterocele with a unilateral paravaginal support defect. The enterocele was subsequently confirmed to be a 10 x 5-cm, thick-walled cystic mass histologically confirmed to be a Bartholin gland abscess.

Conclusion: Unusual forms of vaginal prolapse require adequate ancillary investigation such as imaging to avoid diagnostic error and to improve preoperative planning and treatment.