[Photodynamic diagnosis and therapy in gynecology--current knowledge]

Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) is a new method based on the detection of different forms of fluorescence of tissues after previous administration of photosensitizers. The photosensitizer is gathered in the pathological tissue at much higher concentration than in the healthy tissue, thus the fluorescence differs. Localizing wrong fluorescence allows precise choosing of the spot to collect tissue for histopathological or cytological study. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a technique in which tissue is irradiated with light after the use of a photosensitizing drug that produces singlet oxygen, which has a cytotoxic effect. The authors describe new trends in photodynamic diagnosis and treatment of some vulvar epithelial diseases (VIN, lichen sclerosus, condylomata acuminata) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. They describe photodynamic method in their own studies: diagnosis and treatment of lichen sclerosus and diagnosis of uterine cervix cancer.