Complete labial fusion with vaginal constriction band presenting as incomplete voiding

The Labial Adhesion in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review

Background

Labial adhesion (LA) is a total or partial labial fusion mostly seen in pre-pubertal children and is rare in premenopausal and postmenopausal periods. This review aimed to evaluate risk factors for labial fusion and the recurrence rate following surgical intervention in postmenopausal women.

Methods

According to PRISMA guidelines, international databases including Embase, World Cat, Web of Science, Scopus, Dimension, Open Grey, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and also PubMed gateway for PMC and MEDLINE were searched. The included studies were in English and published from 1985 until December 2023 with the keywords including vulvar diseases, agglutination, menopause, postmenopause, and recurrence. All studies that evaluated the clinical course and recurrence of LAs following surgical treatment in postmenopausal women were included. The inclusion criteria were the risk factors of LA recurrence rate, and the exclusion criteria were studies with missing required data, letters to editors, and conference studies.

Results

Thirty-four case reports were enrolled. In total, 54 patients were evaluated. The most common risk factors for LA included hypoestrogenism, virginity, sexual inactivity, cervical cancer, hysterectomy, urinary tract infections, and lichen sclerosis. Only one study reported a recurrence of labial fusion following surgical intervention in a one-year follow-up.

Conclusion

The most common risk factors for LA were hypoestrogenism, virginity, sexual inactivity, cervical cancer, hysterectomy, urinary tract infections, and lichen sclerosis. The low recurrence rate following surgical release of labial fusion has made it an effective and safe method in postmenopausal women with negligible medium-term recurrence rates.

Recurrent labial adhesion and vaginal destruction treatment with ileal vaginoplasty and labia major flap: A rare case report

Labial adhesion (LA) and vaginal destruction are very rare conditions in women. We report a 40-year-old woman with severe LA and distal vaginal stenosis after a radical hysterectomy at the age of 35. Completely destruction of vaginal epithelium, severe recurrent LA, voiding symptoms, and chronic pelvic pain occurs for her due to the repeated vaginal dilatation and low estrogen level. A combination of ileal vaginoplasty (IV) and labia majora flap was used in two surgical stages for treatment. After surgery, the patient's urinary symptoms and pelvic pain were relieved and she was able to have sex with her partner.

Experience with successful treatment of severe recurrent vulvar adhesions: A case report

Vulvar adhesions are defined as partial or complete adherence of the labia minora and/or labia majora. Vulvar adhesions are rare, especially in postmenopausal women.This article describes a case of postmenopausal recurrent vulvar adhesions successfully treated with surgery. The patient was a 52-year-old woman who had undergone manual separation and surgical adhesion release due to vulvar adhesions, which recurred soon after treatment. The patient then came to our hospital for treatment because of complete dense adhesions to the vulva and laboured urination. The patient received surgical treatment, the anatomical structure of the vulva recovered well, and the symptoms affecting the urinary system disappeared. There was no readhesion during the 3-month follow-up.

Nephrogenic Adenoma in the Setting of Refractory Labial Agglutination in an Elderly Woman

BACKGROUND

Severe labial agglutination can be refractory to outpatient management and can lead to voiding dysfunction in postmenopausal women. Labial agglutination is often a sequela of long-standing inflammatory processes, which include untreated lichen planus, lichen sclerosus, and atrophic vaginitis.

CASE

An 82-year-old parous woman presented with severe labial agglutination and complete obstruction of her vaginal introitus, causing obstructive voiding symptoms. She underwent a surgical procedure to release the fused labia. Pathologic evaluation of a vulvar biopsy revealed nephrogenic adenoma, which is an uncommon benign lesion usually presenting in the urinary tract.

CONCLUSIONS

Refractory, severe labial agglutination in postmenopausal women can lead to significant voiding dysfunction, and the underlying chronic inflammation may result in pathologic changes such as nephrogenic adenoma. Pathologic tissue diagnosis is important to plan appropriate surveillance for patients with this chronic condition.

Postmenopausal labial agglutination mimics urinary incontinence and hidden vaginal lesion

Labial agglutination has rarely been reported in postmenopausal women and its treatment has been based on experience with prepubertal girls. We describe an 83-year-old woman who presented with labial agglutination and severe urinary incontinence. She had been treated intermittently with a topical estrogen cream for 3 years, but her symptoms persisted. Surgery was performed and her urinary incontinence was instantly resolved. Incidental vaginal low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia was noted. Later, the lesion progressed and was confirmed to be condyloma acuminata. No recurrence of labial agglutination was noted 3 months after the surgery. We emphasize that surgical intervention should be the first consideration for labial agglutination with urinary symptoms in postmenopausal women. This case also highlights that surgery can not only resolve patients' symptoms early, but can also enable access to the region for essential gynecologic procedures.

Laser-induced synlabia, cryptomenorrhea, and urine retention: A case report and literature review

Cosmetic laser use has many pros and cons. The worldwide use of laser for body hair removal has led to many medical complications. Unsupervised use of the laser for hair removal in vulva may result in many problems and can merely damage the vulva, although rarely, affecting the body image. This rare and novel case report is a 21 year old virgin who presented with acute urinary retention and cryptomenorrhea due to complete synlabia secondary to unsupervised vulval laser hair removal. The urinary retention was relieved by suprapubic catheterization initially. During examination under anesthesia, the fused labia were separated by a surgical incision with drainage of hematocolpos and then, a Foley's urethral catheter was inserted. She had an uneventful recovery. We report this case to emphasize on the supervised use of laser by trained and qualified personnel for hair removal in vulva to minimize its complications.

Labial adhesion in children at the Jos University Teaching Hospital

BACKGROUND

Labial adhesion is one of the most common reasons for gynaecologic consultations in children. We sought to determine the prevalence of labial adhesions, mode of presentation and treatment in children at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of labial adhesions in children from January 2004 to December 2013. Data on paediatric gynaecological consultations, and labial adhesions were retrieved from the gynaecological clinic and the theatre records. The case notes of those with labial adhesions were retrieved and the relevant data extracted.

RESULTS

The total number of paediatric patients seen at the gynaecology clinic over the study period was 379 and 25 had labial adhesion (6.6%). The majority (88%) presented in the first 2 years of life, all the patients were asymptomatic, and 2 (8%) had surgical separation of the adhesions while the rest were managed conservatively. A total of 5 (20%) came for follow-up. While 2 (8%) came a week later following surgical management, 3 (12%) came back more than 6 months later due to recurrence following conservative management.

CONCLUSION

Labial adhesions account for significant proportion of paediatric gynaecologic consultations. They are usually asymptomatic, occur in the first 2 years of life and frequently managed conservatively.