Genital filariasis presenting as a vaginal wall cystic lesion

Abstract

Vaginal cystic lesions are rare incidental findings detected during physical examination and imaging. To our knowledge, filariasis as a cause of vaginal cystic lesions has not been previously reported in the English literature. We present vaginal cystic lesion which posed diagnostic dilemma and was confirmed on cytology to being filarial in etiology. The patient was treated with single-dose of oral diethylcarbamazine and the lesion subsided on follow up scans at three months thus avoiding inadvertent surgeries. Vaginal cystic lesions are rare entities and have multiple etiologies. A high degree of suspicion for filariasis as cause of vaginal cystic lesions should be made in individuals hailing from or have history of travel to endemic regions of filariasis.

Keywords: Diethylcarbamazine; Filariasis; Microfilariae; Vaginal.