Vulvodynia: in situ hybridization analysis for human papillomavirus

Objective: To determine the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA by in situ hybridization analysis in women with vulvodynia and suspected HPV infection as compared to normal controls.Methods: A chart review was performed to identify women with vulvodynia and both colposcopic and histologic evidence of HPV infection. Control patients of women with vulvar biopsies for benign, non-HPV related conditions were also identified from the chart review. Vulvar biopsies from 11 women with vulvodynia and 12 control patients were compared by histology and by in situ hybridization for HPV DNA. In situ hybridization was performed with DNA probes for common HPV subtypes: 6,11,16,18,30,31,33,34,45,51, and 52. Positive controls were performed for each HPV subtype.Results: All 11 patients with vulvodynia and both clinical and histologic evidence of HPV infection were negative for all types of HPV DNA by in situ hybridization. The 12 control patients who had no clinical or histologic evidence of active HPV were also negative for HPV DNA by in situ hybridization.Conclusions: DNA from the tested HPV subtypes was not identified in patients with vulvodynia and suspected HPV infection. While it is possible that other HPV subtypes may be involved in vulvodynia, these data suggest that DNA from common HPV subtypes is not identified in greater frequency in patients with vulvodynia as compared to normal controls and suggest that the role of HPV in vulvodynia may be overestimated.