Vulval lichen sclerosus: lack of correlation between duration of clinical symptoms and histological appearances
Background Histological criteria in lichen sclerosus have been correlated with disease duration. A progressive tendency for the inflammatory infiltrate to become more deeply placed and more sparse with long-standing disease has been described together with a tendency for collagen homogenisation in t...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1997
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| Summary: | Background Histological criteria in lichen sclerosus have been correlated with disease duration. A progressive tendency for the inflammatory infiltrate to become more deeply placed and more sparse with long-standing disease has been described together with a tendency for collagen homogenisation in the upper dermis to become more prominent with time. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective blind clinico-pathological study on 20 untreated patients with lichen sclerosus. We looked at sections from five additional patients with lichen sclerosus who required serial biopsies in the course of their disease. The purpose was to observe the histological patterns at different stages of the clinical course. Results We found a poor correlation between estimated disease duration and histological criteria for early and long-standing disease. Conclusion We conclude that the pathological process in lichen sclerosus is a continuing process and the inflammatory component can be a persistent or recurring phenomenon which may be site-determined. The estimation of disease duration in vulval lichen sclerosus using histological criteria is unsatisfactory. |
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