[Cryosurgery--the last resort or a surgical alternative in the treatment of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus of the vulva (LSAV)?].
BACKGROUND
The treatment of LSAV consists mainly of topical corticosteroids, progesterone or testosterone. Often these approaches neither improve the clinical findings nor relieve the symptoms. We evaluated cryotherapy as a possible therapeutic option.


METHODS
Nine girls (age between 5 and 15 years, mean 9 years) and 22 women (age between 33 to 74 years, mean 54 years) with clinically and histologically confirmed LSAV were treated with cryotherapy.


RESULTS
All patients experienced improvement of their clinical signs and symptoms. Five patients had a second cycle of cryotherapy after an average of 10,6 months; 2 women were treated a third time.


CONCLUSIONS
Cryotherapy is an effective therapeutic option for LSAV. It has few side effects and seems to be an attractive alternative especially in children.
Kastner
U
U
Dermatologische Klinik der Ruhruniversität Bochum im St. Josef-Hospital.
Altmeyer
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D007724:Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*