Vestibulodynia - A subset of vulvar vestibulitis or a novel syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to recognize special features of women with both vestibulitis and constant vulvar pain (vestibulodynia) and to determine whether vestibulodynia is a separate disease entity or a subset of vestibulitis. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-one women with severe vulvar vestibulitis underwent perineoplasty by a single surgeon during 1992 to 1995. Twenty-five (27%) of them who had vestibulodynia were compared with 66 (73%) who had dyspareunia alone. With univariate and then multivariate analysis, the two groups were compared with regard to demographic, social, and medical variables, the presence of human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid, physical findings in the vestibule, and surgical outcome. RESULTS: The vestibulodynia and vestibulitis groups differed in age (30.5 +/- 10.6 years vs 24.7 +/- 6.2 years respectively), as well as in marital status (married, 44% vs 18%, respectively), nonuse of contraception (20% vs 1%, respectively), presence of human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid in the vestibule (80% vs 48%, respectively), and failure of surgical treatment (incomplete response rate, 64% vs 2%, respectively). With multivariate analysis, patients with human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid present in the vestibule have an odds ratio of 5.44 (95% confidence interval, 1.45 to 20.33) of belonging to the group with vestibulodynia, whereas dysuria and age have odds ratios of 3.70 (95% confidence interval 1.09 to 12.55) and 1.14 (95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.24), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Vestibulodynia is a unique syndrome in that it affects women who are older than those who have vestibulitis alone and it is associated with human papillamavirus deoxyribonucleic acid, dysuria, and a higher surgical failure rate than that for vestibulitis.