The cutaneous-vulvar clinic revisited: a 5-year experience of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Cutaneous-Vulvar Service.

OBJECTIVE

To review the recent experience of a busy referral cutaneous-vulvar service.

STUDY

DESIGN

500 randomly chosen charts from the last 5 years of patients seen at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Cutaneous-Vulvar Service were reviewed. Information was entered into a computer data base and analyzed.

RESULTS

The most common presenting condition was vulvar vestibulitis (36.2%), followed by lichen sclerosus (19.2%) and vaginitis/vaginosis (14.8%). Most patients had undergone a variety of therapies prior to referral. Many were treated for moniliasis in the absence of clinical evidence prior to our evaluation. Most patients responded well to appropriate therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

A variety of primary care providers see women with cutaneous-vulvar symptomatology. Awareness of prevalent conditions will lead to correct diagnosis and treatment. We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary consultation in difficult cases.