[Antibiotics in first-line in case of bartholinitis: Retrospective Study of 33 Cases]

Objectives: Acute Bartholinitis is a common pathology affecting nearly 2% of women in their lifetime. Many treatments are used, although their effectiveness is not demonstrated in the literature. The main objective was to evaluate the success rate of first-line antibiotic therapy. The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with successful treatment.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective unicentric study between January 2014 and June 2018 at the University Hospital Center of Nancy. Inclusion criteria were the presence of acute bartholinitis treated with first-line antibiotic therapy. Exclusion criteria were patients lost to follow-up after initiation of treatment. The primary endpoint was the absence of surgical treatment within 30 days of initiation of antibiotic therapy. Factors associated with successful medical treatment were sought.

Results: Thirty-three patients were included. The success rate of medical treatment was 48.5% at 30 days. In the case of symptoms that had been evolving for less than 3 days, the success of medical treatment was more frequent (75% vs. 35.3%, P=0.02). Medical treatment was more effective in lesions of less than 2cm (68.7% vs. 23.5%, P=0.01). After adjustment, the only factor associated with successful medical treatment was lesion size≤2cm [ORa=5.31 (1.05-26.81)].

Conclusion: First-line antibiotic therapy for acute bartholinitis seems effective but should be targeted according to certain eligibility criteria.