Combined oral and vaginal treatment of severe vulvovaginitis during childhood.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined oral and vaginal administration of antibiotics. DESIGN: Treatment and follow-up examination of 54 cases of severe vulvovaginitis. SETTING: Division of Pediatric and Adolescent' Gynecology, Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Greece. PARTICIPANTS: Girls aged 1-10 years seen at the clinic of the above-listed institution. INTERVENTIONS: Vaginal application of antibiotics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vaginal culture and vaginoscopy. RESULTS: Treatment achieved microbial eradication in 51 of 54 patients (94%). In most patients, relief of symptoms was achieved after 2-3 days. No adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment was highly effective and simple to administer, and no complications were observed. A further advantage of this approach is the shorter duration of treatment.