Precise Measurement of the Thickness of Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Abstract

Objectives: Although carbon dioxide laser vaporization is frequently used for treating vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN), the optimal depth of epithelial destruction with laser vaporization requires elucidation. We aimed to evaluate VaIN depth and better illustrate epithelial destruction during laser vaporization. Materials and Methods: We included 246 women diagnosed with VaIN (low-grade VaIN [VaIN 1], 123 women; high-grade VaIN [VaIN 2/3], 123 women) using colposcopy-directed biopsy at our hospital from January 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020. The thickness of the noninvolved epithelium, if available, was determined. All available data, including cytology and histological information, were recorded. The t test and Pearson χ2 test were used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at p .05). In the VaIN 2/3 group, the lesion thickness in premenopausal was greater than that in postmenopausal women receiving estrogen (p =.016) and those who were not receiving estrogen (p =.017). Conclusions: The thickness of VaIN is generally less than 1 mm for women of all ages, except in rare cases of visible lesions with papillary hyperplasia.