Using Wood's Light as a Diagnostic Tool for Vaginal Atrophy.
BACKGROUND
Wood's light lamp is a device that emits ultraviolet (UV) light and is a useful diagnostic tool for dermatologic disorders. The change in the thickness of vaginal mucosa, in vaginal atrophy, causes a change in its colour under Wood's light. We wanted to assess the feasibility of Wood's light (WL) as a diagnostic tool for vaginal atrophy.


METHODS
The study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 1 March 2013 to 1 September 2014. We evaluated 45 healthy postmenopausal women with atrophic vaginitis (study group) and 45 healthy, reproductive-aged women as a control group. All patients underwent WL and routine gynaecological examinations for this study.


RESULTS
Ninety patients were selected for this study: 45 postmenopausal women suffering atrophic vaginitis symptoms like vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, vulvar pruritus, and signs like pale, smooth, dry, fragile vaginal epithelium, areas of petechiae, and rash, and 45 healthy reproductive-aged women without vaginal atrophy. Thirty-six of the postmenopausal women's vaginal mucosa appeared pale royal green under WL indicative of vaginal atrophy. Thirty-nine of reproductive-aged women's (n: 45) vaginal mucosa were not visualized as pale royal green fluorescent images under the WL.


CONCLUSIONS
Using Wood's light to diagnose vaginal atrophy is a new use for the old device and may be a reliable, and cheap tool for diagnosing vaginal atrophy. Diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of Wood's light will be better optimized in further trials.
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical School , Etlik, Ankara/ Turkey .
Mustafa
M
Ulubay
Specialist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Etimesgut Military Hospital Etimesgut, Ankara/ Turkey .
Mustafa
M
Ozturk
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical School , Etlik, Ankara/ Turkey .
Ulas
U
Fidan
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical School , Etlik, Ankara/ Turkey .
Ugur
U
Keskin
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical School , Etlik, Ankara/ Turkey .
Ibrahim
I
Alanbay
Specialist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Medical School , Etlik, Ankara/ Turkey .
Riza
R
Karaca
Menopause; Vaginal atrophy; Wood’s light