What Are Vaginal Cysts?

Vaginal cysts are the most common of benign vaginal tumors. There are no glands in the normal vagina, but isolated vaginal crypts can be found occasionally, and a retention cyst containing liquid is formed. It is not a neoplastic or proliferative tumor. Vaginal cysts are classified into epithelial cysts (acquired) and embryonic cysts (congenital). Generally, the cyst epithelium originates from the Müllerian canal, the mesonephric canal and the urogenital sinus in the embryonic period.

Basic Information

English name: vaginal cyst
Visiting department: Gynecology
Common causes: Most are derived from the residual mesenteric ducts and mesenteric ducts remaining in the vaginal wall

Common symptoms: Generally asymptomatic
Contagious: no

Causes of vaginal cysts

Epithelium-containing cysts are caused by damage to the vaginal mucosa during childbirth or during vaginal surgery when the vaginal mucosa is involved in the deep vagina. After the wound heals, the mucosa continues to proliferate and desquamate, and then liquefies to form a cyst. The pathological examination was mostly stratified flat cells. Generally asymptomatic, often found on examination. Embryonic remnant cysts are also known as medullary duct cysts. If the mesenteric ducts next to the vagina are blocked, retention of secretions can form cysts, which can be seen in the vaginal side wall or the anterior wall of the lower segment, in clusters or multiple, such as grapes or ping pong. Ball size, thin cyst wall single room.

Clinical manifestations of vaginal cysts

Cysts may be nodular or plural, and the cysts vary in size, and are generally 2 to 3 cm in diameter. They have a smooth appearance and are fixed. Such cysts are often small and have no clinical significance, but occasionally they can grow very large, causing difficulty or pain during intercourse, and even hindering labor, and sometimes compressing the triangular area of the bladder, causing increased urination. In rare cases, its elongated cord-like pedicle can cause twisting and obstruction of the bowel.

The contents of the cyst are mostly watery, serous or milky white liquid, and some are dark brown. Its color and viscosity vary depending on the presence or absence of intracapsular hemorrhage.

Vaginal cyst examination

1. To understand the progress of cysts mainly by asking the patient's medical history.

2. Gynecological examination, preliminary assessment of cyst location and adjacent anatomy.

3. Imaging examination: B-ultrasound, MRI examination, etc., to further clarify the general situation of the patient's cyst size, location and contents.

Vaginal cyst diagnosis

A small cyst located on the anterior and lateral wall of the vagina without difficulty in diagnosis.

Differential diagnosis of vaginal cyst

Those who are large and protrude from the vaginal opening or between the labia, although they have the same shape as the bladder bulge, but they do not shrink after urination, or after inserting them with a metal catheter, squeeze the base of the cyst with your fingers at the same time. A certain distance is not difficult to identify.

A cyst located in the posterior vaginal fornix should be distinguished from a uterine rectal fossa hernia, which increases each time a cough or shrinks with a finger push, or even disappears; and when the patient is asked to use abdominal pressure at the triple consultation, a vaginal rectum Swelling, bulging sensation, this is caused by intestinal curvature due to abdominal pressure into the hernia sac of the vaginal rectal fossa, while vaginal cysts have no such changes.

The cysts located in the lower part of the anterior vaginal wall must be distinguished from urethral diverticulum and urethral gland abscess. Although the latter two also form vaginal swelling, they are all connected with the urethra. When pressed forward by hand, urine or pus can be seen flowing out of the urethra.

Most of the small cysts in the hymen near the posterior wall of the vagina are inclusion cysts. In addition, it must be distinguished from double uterus, double vaginal deformities, and atresia of one side of the vagina. This situation is extremely rare. Although the patient had menstruation, dysmenorrhea gradually worsened, and the vaginal cyst formed on one side had a large tension and a purple color. If necessary, local puncture can be identified.

Vaginal Cyst Treatment

Mainly surgical resection. If the location of the cyst is not too high, the operation is usually not difficult, but care must be taken during the dissection and it should not hurt the urethra or bladder. If the tumor is large and deep in the dome, and it expands into the broad ligament, it is impossible to remove it completely through the vagina, even if it is performed by abdominal surgery at the same time. Some authors believe that after scraping the residual sac wall with a curette, the edges of the stump and the corresponding edge of the vaginal mucosa incision are sewn together to create a stoma, and then the vagina is filled with gauze to compress the residual sac cavity. The wall of the sac is completely adhered and closed, and even if it cannot be closed, it will not swell again.