What are the treatment options for congenital absence of vagina

  Congenital absence of vagina is divided into non-surgical and surgical treatments.  For non-surgical treatment, the top compression method. It is to find a mold to compress the vagina number by number until it has the right length. It is suitable for those who have a vagina length of 3cm or more, this method is the simplest and a good method. No surgery is needed and it is less expensive.  Surgical treatment, i.e. artificial vaginoplasty. This surgical method involves separating a cavity about 8-10 cm long between the bladder and rectum and covering the four walls of the cavity with various different tissues and filling it with gauze so that the tissues grow close to the four walls. After about 7-10 days, the covered tissue grows well and can be replaced with a rigid model to ensure that the vagina does not collapse and to prevent tissue contracture. The following vaginoplasties are commonly used: amniotic vaginoplasty, peritoneal vaginoplasty, sigmoid vaginoplasty, flap vaginoplasty, and biopatch artificial vaginoplasty. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are different, and the main surgical methods and their advantages and disadvantages are described below.  Biological patch: Biological patch is a natural extracellular matrix obtained by decellularization of allogeneic tissues using tissue engineering techniques and is a dermal substitute. The most significant feature of this new material is that it is non-toxic as well as having good histocompatibility and does not trigger immune rejection of the organism. The procedure is simple, a 30-minute procedure under intravenous anesthesia, with few complications and bleeding, and the patient’s vagina is mostly mucosalized 4-12 weeks after the procedure. The advantages are that the surgery and anesthesia time are short, the postoperative mucosalization time is short, the time needed to wear the mold is also shortened accordingly, and the vaginal mucosa formed is thick, smooth, red and elastic, the scar formation and contracture are not obvious, thus greatly improving the patient’s quality of daily life. However, the disadvantages are the high cost and the tendency of the reconstructed vaginal tip to grow granulation tissue.  Peritoneal vaginoplasty: Peritoneal vaginoplasty is performed by separating the peritoneum of the pelvic wall through laparoscopy and then pulling down and lining the separated vaginal canal. It fully embodies the concept of minimally invasive, and the postoperative vaginal depth and sexual satisfaction are significantly higher than those of the traditional amniotic method, with the advantage that the tip of the reconstructed vagina is smooth and less prone to granulation.  This procedure uses fresh amniotic membrane as a temporary biological dressing, which has a high growth rate and can prevent trauma infection and act as a fibrous scaffold. After the operation, the mucosal epithelium of the vestibule can grow into the lumen along with the scaffold, and the final vagina formed is usually similar to the natural vagina after 3-6 months. This method is the easiest and safest to perform, but should be performed with strict aseptic technique, otherwise it is prone to failure due to infection. The advantages of amniotic vaginoplasty are low cost, short operation and anesthesia time, but much postoperative discharge.  Sigmoid vaginoplasty: This procedure involves opening the abdomen to free a section of the sigmoid colon that maintains blood flow and transplanting it into the formed vaginal cavity. Since this procedure directly uses the intestine as a substitute for the vagina without the crawling growth of the vaginal mucosa epithelium, the vagina does not contract after surgery and can remain wide and unobstructed without the need for a vaginal model. However, the operation is complicated and traumatic for the patient, and the recent secretion of intestinal fluid and vaginal odor cause inconvenience to the patient’s life. Our hospital has been performing this surgery for more than 20 years.  V. Vaginoplasty with own skin flap: This procedure is performed by taking the patient’s own skin and transplanting it into the vaginal cavity. It is commonly used to take skin pieces from the vulva, both groins and abdomen. However, postoperative scars are evident in the donor area, hair growth is present after abdominal skin grafting, and the resulting skin vagina is dry due to the lack of secretion, resulting in a less than satisfactory sex life.  These are the surgical methods commonly used to treat congenital absence of vagina. The best time to have the surgery is when the patient is ready or already married, otherwise it will be inconvenient to wear a mold for a long time after the surgery and difficult to operate again once the artificial vagina has collapsed or contracted. In addition, most patients with congenital anovagina have a combined anovagina or primordial uterus, which allows for normal sexual intercourse but prevents childbirth after the formation of an artificial vagina. The indications and costs of each method are different and will depend on your situation. It is best to come to the hospital for examination and then decide on a plan.