Neoplasia in vaginal cuff epithelial inclusion cysts after hysterectomy

Between Jan 1, 1985, and Dec 31, 1987, 26 women were treated for vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN). Twenty-two of them had undergone hysterectomy, 15 for a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer. Five patients were identified whose management was complicated by the presence of the neoplastic process within vaginal cuff inclusion cysts (or sinuses). All five patients ultimately underwent upper vaginectomy as part of their treatment, and two of them were found to have an invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina. Women who are found to have an abnormal Papanicolaou smear or VAIN in the upper vagina following hysterectomy should be examined carefully for vaginal cuff abnormalities. Those with nodularity or distortion of the cuff are best managed with surgical excision for both treatment of VAIN and discovery of an occult invasive cancer.