Vulvar Pain From Childhood to Old Age

This book offers detailed coverage of all aspects of vulvar pain in age groups from children to the elderly, with a particular focus on factors that precipitate or maintain the pain. Guidance is provided on diagnosis and treatment, and careful considerati

  • PDF / 6,470,094 Bytes
  • 261 Pages / 439.42 x 683.15 pts Page_size
  • 66 Downloads / 234 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT


Vulvar Pain From Childhood to Old Age

123

Vulvar Pain

Alessandra Graziottin • Filippo Murina

Vulvar Pain From Childhood to Old Age

Alessandra Graziottin Center of Gynecology and Medical Sexology San Raffaele Resnati Hospital Milan Italy

Filippo Murina Lower Genital Tract Disease Unit V. Buzzi Hospital University of Milan Milan Italy

ISBN 978-3-319-42675-4    ISBN 978-3-319-42677-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-42677-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961806 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Preface

Why a Book About Vulvar Pain? The vulva has been a most neglected organ, from the medical point of view, until recently. Symptoms related to it have been largely underreported by women (“too intimate to be spoken of”), underinvestigated, and undertreated by physicians. In the last two decades, the problem of a “mysterious” pain referred to the vestibulum of the vagina or the entire vulva has been increasingly investigated. The currently defined “provoked vestibulodynia” (formerly called “vulvar vestibulitis”) and “vulvodynia” are now undergoing intense scrutiny: their characteristics of chronic up to neuropathic vulvar pain are now familiar to an increasing number of gynecologists and healthcare providers (HCPs). Unfortunately, today every vulvar pain is labeled as “vestibulodynia” and “vulvodynia,” i.e., as neuropathic, which is not the case. Women may have different types of pain perceived from or referred to the vulvar organ: acute, chronic, and pathologic/neuropathic. Time is not the only defining criteria. The second criterion implies a (partly) different pathophysiology of pain and the progressive involvement of the brain in the pain-generating and pain-­ perceiving dynami