Chronic vulvar purpura

We described a 56-year-old Japanese woman with a long-standing asymptomatic vulvar purpuric lesion. Histological studies revealed massive hemorrhage, deposition of hemosiderin and a moderate lymphohistiocytic infiltration. We speculate that chronic intrapelvic congestion with increased venous pressure possibly due to abdominal ptosis played an important role in the pathomechanism for this persistent purpuric lesion of the vulva.     

Chronic vulvar pain from a physical therapy perspective

When assessing women with chronic vulvar pain, women's health physical therapists search for comorbid mechanical components (including musculoskeletal, fascial, and visceral) and other disorders that may contribute to or be caused by chronic vulvar pain (CVP). Pelvic floor hypertonicity is a key perpetuating factor for CVP. Comprehensive physical therapy evaluation and suggested physical therapy interventions are described. Anatomy of the pelvis, common evaluative findings, and specifics for pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation are presented. Normalization of pelvic floor muscle function contributes to the reduction of CVP. Successful treatment includes the identification and treatment of co‐existing physical abnormalities throughout the trunk and pelvis.     

Chronic herpes zoster duplex bilateralis

Although varicella zoster virus latency has been demonstrated in several sensory ganglia, herpes zoster usually effects only one single, either left or right, dermatome in half of the body. In immunocompromised patients, more than one contiguous unilateral dermatome may be involved. Bilateral non-contiguous herpes zoster, also termed herpes zoster duplex, is rarely reported. Chronic varicella zoster virus skin infection is another rare entity encountered in HIV-infected and immunocompromised patients, often associated with aciclovir resistance. We describe here a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, who presented simultaneously non-contiguous bilateral and chronic herpes zoster lasting for more than 2 months, with resistance to aciclovir. To our knowledge, this is the first report of chronic herpes zoster duplex bilateralis. Physicians should be aware of and recognize these atypical manifestations of varicella zoster virus.     

Chronic herpes simplex infection (herpes simplex persistens et exulcerans) in chronic lymphatic leukemia

Report of a patient with chronic ulcerative cutaneous herpes simplex and chronic lymphatic leukemia. Rapid improvement was seen on treatment with acyclovir.     

Chronic erosive, therapy-resistant perianal herpes (type II) with herpes proctitis in AIDS]

In an AIDS patient who had repeated successful treatment with acyclovir in his history, erosive herpes perianalis with herpes proctitis appeared, which persisted over several weeks. High-dose intravenous administration on of acyclovir (500-750 mg, 3 x daily, over 7 weeks) did not reveal any beneficial effects: However, almost complete clearing of the lesions occurred within 3 weeks of intravenous administration of Foscarnet (50 mg/kg body wt., 3 x daily). No relapse was seen in a follow-up period of 4 months. HSV type II was isolated by culture from the erosive lesions before treatment, but no virus was found 1 week after application of Foscarnet. The unusual chronic refractory course of a severe HSV type II infection in AIDS suggests the presence of an acyclovir-resistant HSV strain in this case. This is the first observation indicating acyclovir-resistance in the Federal Republic of Germany and a warning against the unlimited use of acyclovir in AIDS patients. Foscarnet may be beneficial in some of these cases.     

Chronic mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus infections

Chronic herpes simplex virus (CHSV) and chronic varicella zoster virus (CVZV) are defined as atypical mucocutaneous wart-like and/or ulcerative HSV or VZV infections, persisting for at least 1 month. Both are commonly associated with HIV infection and may occasionally present with other types of immunosuppression. CHSV and CVZV occur despite the immune restoration effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV. The clinical polymorphism of CHSV and CVZV makes recognition difficult. Histology, immunohistology, PCR and viral culture all help to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is frequently complicated by resistance to thymidine kinase (TK)-dependent antivirals, including acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir. Viral culture remains an essential tool for antiviral drug susceptibility testing. Therapeutic alternatives include non-TK-dependent antivirals, such as foscarnet or cidofovir, which directly target viral DNA polymerase. With few exceptions, CHSV and CVZV infections do not constitute significant risk factors for disseminated cutaneous or systemic infection. This review compares the similarities of and differences between CHSV and CVZV infections.     

Chronic neuralgia incidence following local anesthetic therapy for herpes zoster

We treated 72 patients, referred to a pain clinic for acute herpes zoster neuralgia, with local anesthetics administered by nerve block and infiltration. Only those patients with severe pain initially proved to be at risk for the development of chronic postherpetic neuralgia (defined as pain in the involved dermatomes lasting at least six months). Although local anesthetic injections effectively relieved the acute pain of active herpes zoster, they did not prevent the development of chronic postherpetic neuralgia.     

Chronic herpes simplex virus type I glossitis in an immunocompromised man

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (HSV-1) infection of the tongue commonly accompanies acute primary herpetic gingivostomatitis. However, recurrent infection of the tongue is exceptional and is restricted to immunocompromised individuals. A 57-year-old man with corticosteroid-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sciatica presented with a chronic median glossitis due to HSV-1. The main clinical and histological feature was massive necrosis of the entire mucosa. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated a considerable amount of HSV gB, gC and gD envelope glycoproteins dispersed in the chorion. In contrast, HSV-1 DNA was detected only in a limited number of epithelial cells using in situ hybridization. The extent of necrosis and the pattern of viral DNA and envelope protein distribution represent unique features of median herpetic glossitis, which are not found in more common types of HSV infection.     

Localized vulvar syringomas

Syringomas are benign appendageal tumors with differentiation toward the intraepidermal portion of the eccrine sweat duct. A 35-year-old black woman with lesions confined to the labia majora is presented. Syringomas involving the genitalia are rare, and usually the genital tumors are part of a more generalized distribution. A review of English literature showed only four reported cases of syringomas limited to the vulva. Vulvular syringomas present as multiple, bilateral, skin-colored papules over the labia majora that may or may not be pruritic. The lesions should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple papular lesions of the vulva and are probably more common than is generally recognized.     

Pigmented vulvar lesions

Pigmented lesions represent an enormous range of conditions, from benign to malignant tumors, and from infectious to post‐inflammatory. Pigmented lesions are much less easily diagnosed on anogenital skin, and clinicians should have a low threshold for biopsy confirmation of diseases not classic in appearance.