Bartholin gland cyst

For the secretion of a secret that lubricates the walls of the vagina during excitation and the actual sexual intercourse, the paired organs - the Bartholin glands - respond. Located at the base of the large labia, they have a size of up to 2 cm and are connected by a duct to the inner surface of the labia minora. Sometimes the duct is clogged, and the Bartholin gland cyst is formed, the symptoms and treatment of which will be discussed below.

Causes of the appearance of the bartholin gland cyst

Prerequisites for plugging the duct are a transferred inflammatory disease or papillomavirus. The secret ceases to appear on the surface of the labia and accumulates inside the clogged canal, forming a cyst - that is, a bubble filled with a lubricant. Often, this condition is accompanied by infection of the body (gonococcus, chlamydia , staphylococcus, E. coli), and then an abscess of the cyst of the Bartholin gland ( bartholinitis ) begins, which, if untreated, may burst.

Symptoms of the bartholin gland cyst

A small cyst does not cause a woman discomfort during walking or during intercourse. It is visible on the surface of the labia and resembles a pimple, and, as a rule, this formation affects only one gland.

But the cyst can grow up to 10 cm, causing pain during movement and coitus - then you can not do without treatment.

Treatment of Bartholin's gland cyst

Small asymptomatic cysts do not heal. Exception is made by patients over 40 years of age - then necessarily conduct a survey and a biopsy.

A large, painful cyst of the Bartholin gland requires surgery. Today, two methods of surgical intervention are used:

At the initial stages of inflammation the result is antibacterial therapy, and with abscess surgery is required.

Marsupialization of the bartholin gland cyst

During the procedure, in the place where there is the greatest swelling, the doctor makes an oval incision on the mucosa, and then the same - on the cyst itself. After that, its contents are removed, the cavity is washed. The "highlight" of the operation is that the cyst walls are sutured to the mucosa of the labia, thereby forming the excretory duct - this is the main task of the operation with the bastolin gland cyst.

Often, doctors offer to just open the cyst: its contents are removed, do rinsing. However, the tissues of the canal are stick together, not having time to build up the epithelium. In this case, there is a high risk of recurrence: the duct is again clogged, and a cyst is formed. A modern method of solving this problem is the installation of a special catheter with a bladder inside - it is installed after opening the cyst for 3 to 4 weeks. For such a period a new channel has time to form, and there are no relapses.

These operations are done under local anesthesia, and the patient is immediately released home. Sex is forbidden for a month.

Removal of the bartholin gland cyst

Sometimes doctors suggest removing the gland completely, once and for all having solved the problem of cysts. Yes, there will be no relapse, but this radical method has many drawbacks.

Given these consequences of removing the bartholin gland in the cyst, the operation is prescribed only if there have been several relapses after marsupialization.