The surgical management of complications of vulval lichen sclerosus

ObjectiveTo review the surgical procedures used to treat the complications of vulval lichen sclerosus at a single tertiary referral institution in north-east Scotland over a ten year period.Study designA retrospective case note review of women who had surgery for ano-genital lichen sclerosus at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary between January 1999 and December 2009.ResultsThe total number of women was 25 and the two most common procedures were Fenton's procedure (median perineotomy) and laser division of adhesions. Initial surgery resulted in an improvement of symptoms for 80% of women.ConclusionsWhen surgery for vulval lichen sclerosus is reserved for highly selected cases where there are complications secondary to adhesions, the proportion of women benefiting is high.