Nodular Hyperplasia of the Bartholin’s Gland: An Overlooked Clinical Entity

Abstract

The Bartholin gland can give rise to several lesions that include: cysts from duct obstruction, carcinomas and much rarely nodular hyperplasia and adenomas. Nodular hyperplasia is an under‑reported entity that most often presents as a Bartholin cyst to the gynecologist. We report a case of a 21‑year‑old Nigerian student who presented with a nontender left cystic vulva swelling with associated vaginal discharges and occasional pains of a month duration. She had an excision of the nodular mass that was seen on the marsupialization of the cyst. The histology of the excised tissue showed nodular hyperplasia of the Bartholin’s gland. Tumors of the Bartholin glands are rare in general, with malignant neoplasms easily differentiated from benign ones with histology and clinical presentation. However, benign neoplasms and reactive conditions of the Bartholin glands can easily be confused as both have similar clinical presentations. This distinction is easily made with histology.