Retrospective analysis of vulvar benign masses: 5-year single center experience

Aim Although benign lesions in the vulva occur rarely, they are one of the reasons for women to apply to the hospital. Although the most common benign masses in the vulva are bartholin cysts; First of all, it is necessary to rule out malignancy. Our aim is to analyze the demographic and presentation characteristics, clinical and laboratory findings, and surgical operation results of women who applied to a tertiary center with a vulvar mass. Materials and methods All women who had vulvar mass in a tertiary perinatology center between January 2016 and January 2021 were retrospectively included in this study. The demographic data of the patients (age, gravida, parity, abortus numbers), complaints and comorbidities were analyzed. Clinical findings, hospitalization times, treatments and surgery results were recorded. Results Overall, 198 patients who had vulvar masses were included in this study. The median age was 35.0 years. While 15.2% of the patients were nulliparous; 51.1% (n=135) had at least one abortion history. The most common complaints were genital swelling/mass in 77.8% and pain in 36.9%. The most common diagnoses were “bartholin cyst/abscess” in 89.9% and vulvar mass in 6.6%. Cyst excision, abscess drainage and mass excision were performed in 59.6%, 30.3% and 6.6%, respectively. No morbidity or mortality was observed in any of the patients. Conclusion Bartholin's cysts/abscesses are the most common cause of benign masses of the vulva. However, in all women presenting with a vulvar mass, malignancies should be excluded and a biopsy should be obtained if necessary.