Bartholin's cyst

Bartholin's cyst
Bartholin's cyst
Other names	Bartholin duct cyst, Bartholin gland cyst, cyst of Bartholin gland, bartholinitis
	Drawing of a Bartholin's cyst on the person's right side
Specialty	Gynecology
Symptoms	Swelling of one side of the vaginal opening, pain, sometimes no symptoms
Complications	Abscess
Usual onset	Childbearing age
Causes	Unknown
Diagnostic method	Based on symptoms and examination
Differential diagnosis	Sebaceous cyst, hernia, hidradenitis suppurativa, folliculitis, vulvar cancer, hematoma, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital wart
Treatment	Placement of a Word catheter, incision and drainage, marsupialization, sitz baths
Frequency	2% of women

A Bartholin's cyst occurs when a Bartholin's gland within the labia becomes blocked.^[4] Small cysts may result in minimal or no symptoms.^[1] Larger cysts may result in swelling on one side of the vaginal opening, as well as pain during sex or walking.^[4] If the cyst becomes infected, an abscess can occur, which is typically red and very painful.^[3] If there are no symptoms, no treatment is needed.^[3]^[4] Bartholin's cysts affect about 2% of women at some point in their life.^[3] They most commonly occur during childbearing years.^[3]

When the cyst becomes uncomfortable or painful, drainage is recommended.^[3] The preferred method is the insertion of a Word catheter for four weeks, as recurrence following simple incision and drainage is common.^[3]^[5] A surgical procedure known as marsupialization may be used or, if the problems persist, the entire gland may be removed.^[3] Removal is sometimes recommended in those older than 40 to ensure cancer is not present.^[3] Antibiotics are not generally needed to treat a Bartholin's cyst.^[3]

The cause of a Bartholin's cyst is unknown.^[4] An abscess results from a bacterial infection, but it is not usually a sexually transmitted infection (STI).^[7] Rarely, gonorrhea may be involved.^[4]^[6] Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms and examination.^[4] In women over the age of 40, a tissue biopsy is often recommended to rule out cancer.^[5]^[4]

The cyst is named after Caspar Bartholin who accurately described the glands in 1677.^[8] The underlying mechanism of the cyst was determined in 1967 by the obstetrician Samuel Buford Word.^[9]^[8]^[10]

^ ^a ^b ^c WHO Classification of Tumours Editorial Board, ed. (2020). "10. Tumours of the vulva: Bartholin gland cyst". Female genital tumours: WHO Classification of Tumours. Vol. 4 (5th ed.). Lyon (France): International Agency for Research on Cancer. p. 440. ISBN 978-92-832-4504-9.
^ Zink C (2011). Dictionary of Obstetrics and Gynecology. De Gruyter. p. 24. ISBN 978-3-11085-727-6. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Omole F, Simmons BJ, Hacker Y (July 2003). "Management of Bartholin's duct cyst and gland abscess". American Family Physician. 68 (1): 135–140. PMID 12887119.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Kilpatrick CC. "Bartholin Gland Cysts". Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A (May 2015). "Clinical Pathology of Bartholin's Glands: A Review of the Literature". Current Urology. 8 (1): 22–25. doi:10.1159/000365683. PMC 4483306. PMID 26195958.
^ ^a ^b Ferri F (2017). Ferri's clinical advisor 2018 : 5 books in 1. Elsevier Canada. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-323-28049-5.
^ Marx JA (2014). "Skin and Soft Tissue Infections". Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders. pp. Chapter 137. ISBN 978-1-4557-0605-1.
^ ^a ^b Knaus JV, Isaacs JH (2012). Office Gynecology: Advanced Management Concepts. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-4612-4340-3.
^ Baskett TF (2019). Mr. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. pp. 455–457. ISBN 978-1-108-42170-6.
^ Williams Gynecology (2 ed.). McGraw Hill Professional. 2012. p. 1063. ISBN 978-0-07-180465-3.

[WHOblue2020.10-1] WHO Classification of Tumours Editorial Board, ed. (2020). "10. Tumours of the vulva: Bartholin gland cyst". Female genital tumours: WHO Classification of Tumours. Vol. 4 (5th ed.). Lyon (France): International Agency for Research on Cancer. p. 440. ISBN 978-92-832-4504-9.

[2] Zink C (2011). Dictionary of Obstetrics and Gynecology. De Gruyter. p. 24. ISBN 978-3-11085-727-6. Retrieved November 27, 2023.

[Omole2003-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Omole F, Simmons BJ, Hacker Y (July 2003). "Management of Bartholin's duct cyst and gland abscess". American Family Physician. 68 (1): 135–140. PMID 12887119.

[Mer2018Pro-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Kilpatrick CC. "Bartholin Gland Cysts". Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Retrieved 12 September 2018.

[Lee2015-5] Lee MY, Dalpiaz A, Schwamb R, Miao Y, Waltzer W, Khan A (May 2015). "Clinical Pathology of Bartholin's Glands: A Review of the Literature". Current Urology. 8 (1): 22–25. doi:10.1159/000365683. PMC 4483306. PMID 26195958.

[Fer2018-6] Ferri F (2017). Ferri's clinical advisor 2018 : 5 books in 1. Elsevier Canada. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-323-28049-5.

[Rosen2014Chp137-7] Marx JA (2014). "Skin and Soft Tissue Infections". Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders. pp. Chapter 137. ISBN 978-1-4557-0605-1.

[Kn2012-8] Knaus JV, Isaacs JH (2012). Office Gynecology: Advanced Management Concepts. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-4612-4340-3.

[9] Baskett TF (2019). Mr. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. pp. 455–457. ISBN 978-1-108-42170-6.

[10] Williams Gynecology (2 ed.). McGraw Hill Professional. 2012. p. 1063. ISBN 978-0-07-180465-3.

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Bartholin's cyst

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