Increased intraepithelial innervation in women with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome

Women with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) suffer from severe pain and d iscomfort in the area around the introitus at almost any stimulus that caus es pressure within the vestibule. In spite of the severe sensory symptoms p resent in these women, the influence of the peripheral nerves in the Vulvar vestibulum has not been clarified before. In this study the nerve supply i n the vestibular mucosa in women with VVS and in healthy women free from vu lvar symptoms has been revealed by PGP 9.5 immunohistochemistry. The result s show a significant increase in the number of intraepithelial nerve ending s in women with WS, indicating an alteration in the nerve supply in the aff licted area.