Vaginal micropapillary lesions are not related to human papillomavirus infection: in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction detection techniques

The objective of this study was to assess the human papillomavirus DNA presence in vaginal papillary lesions, with particular regard to micropapillomatosis to better define their clinical significance. Prospective study: the study population was composed of 62 women who were recruited consecutively from the Colposcopy Centre of the Ancona University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, on the grounds of vaginal papillomatosis or/and typical acuminata warts. Biopsies for routine histology, and for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection by means of in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were taken from the papillary lesions and from 24 healthy women, who were selected as controls. Macroscopically, vaginal micropapillomatosis was ascertained in 51 cases (82.3%), while in 11 cases (17.7%) the colposcopic diagnosis was condyloma acuminatum. During in situ hybridization, HPV DNA positivity was observed in 8 (9.4%) out of 85 samples of squamous papillae and in 11 (64.7%) out of 17 samples of condylomata; in control specimens, HPV DNA was detected in 2 (8.3%) out of 24 bioptic samples. The correspondence between in situ hybridization and PCR was 96.1%, with 17.4% more diagnosis obtained by PCR. Vaginal micropapillomatosis may be regarded as a variation in the normal anatomy of the lower genital tract without any significant relationship with HPV infection, and as a lesion easily distinguishable from condylomata acuminata by clinical examination alone.