Vulvar lichen planus–induced vulvovaginal stenosis: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

The authors report a case of vulvar lichen planus–induced vulvovaginal stenosis along with a review of the current literature. The authors outline a case of a patient with biopsy-proven vulvar lichen planus who subsequently developed a vulvovaginal stenosis. Treatment was initiated with clobetasol ointment, oral prednisone, later transitioned to oral methotrexate and clobetasol, and then switched to acitretin. Collaboration with the patient’s family physician and the hypertension clinic has been sought to remove medications associated with lichenoid reactions from the patient’s regimen. Review of literature was conducted through Ovid MEDLINE. Only six cases of vulvar lichen planus–induced vulvovaginal stenosis had been found, suggesting the relative rarity of this severe disease presentation. The patient has achieved control with her current regimen, as well as some clinical improvement of the resulting vaginal stenosis. Vulvovaginal stenosis can be induced by vulvar lichen planus, and its management requires a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach.